Heroes
by curry-llama
Summary: In a world full of heroes it's hard to find ones place, but Danny Phantom realises it's not something he necessarily has to do alone. And can someone please tell him why everyone thinks he's a comic book character named Inviso-Bill! A fluffy fic where Danny meets a hero every chapter and fun ensues!
1. Ghostly stories

_Heroes_

Danny looked at the remnants of his life... There was none. Everyone he had loved or cared for had slowly drifted from him. His parents would look at him oddly. His friends... well they weren't here anymore. Sam moved to a boarding school and Tucker moved overseas because his house was blown up (partly Danny's fault). Jazz had left for college.

The town was over the ghostly attacks and were conducting a mass exodus. The remaining citizens remained with a boring routine life. The bizarre became the norm, and by norm ghost attacks were on the news right before the weather report.

"Ugh! Skulker I am so tired of this!" Danny growled before he shot the ghost down and captured him. The halfa was beginning to become frustrated. His life wasn't going anywhere. Maybe the first two years he had fought ghosts it had been fun, almost a childish pursuit, but now it began to transform into mundane routine.

Danny grumbled as he flew back home. His parents were down in the basement doing who knows what. They were probably trying to kill his alter ego or create a weapon to kill other ghosts.

"Danny-boy you're home! We have exciting news!"

Danny turned to his parents and frowned. What could possibly be exciting in this boring town? He bit back a snarky comment not really wanting to snap at his parents when it wasn't their fault.

"What is it dad," he said taking to sighing instead of snapping.

"We're going on a trip to Metropolis!"

Danny was shocked in more ways than one. His thoughts instantly went to the safety of his city. What if a ghost attacked? What if something went horribly wrong that he couldn't take care of?

"That's awesome and all but what about the ghosts? You wouldn't leave the city in the incapable hands of Phantom would you?" Danny asked trying to appeal to their egos.

"Don't worry Danny," Maddie cut in. "We'll be shutting down the portals and any natural portals we have here can only do so much. The red huntress can take of the rest.

Danny fumbled not knowing what else to say. How could he give Amity to Valerie? Ok maybe he might have been a bit obsessed with taking care of his haunt, but he was a ghost, cut him some slack. It still didn't change the fact that he didn't think it was a good idea to leave, even if it was only for a while.

"But what about school?" Danny asked as a last resort.

Maddie frowned. She knew there was a rift between the family. Jazz had grown up and left. Heck the whole town had grown up and left. The only thing that seemed to be at a stand-still was her son. He was still a recluse, nothing had changed, not even his appearance. She was beginning to worry. All the other boys had shot taller and Danny was lagging behind. All these things only seemed to make her want to drag him with them.

"It'll be fun. Maybe you'll take on the Fenton mantle and be an inventor. This will be a new experience for you," Maddie reasoned.

"Plus we'll be staying at some fancy hotel! There will be a lot of fudge!" Jack exclaimed patting his sons back. "You'll need some to be like your dad!"

Danny twitched at the comment on his height. He had become iffy about that topic. Ever since he died he hadn't grown an inch. He was hoping that it was a late growth spurt but it seemed less and less likely as the days went by.

"The point is Danny," Maddie interjected noting his dejected look, "that we believe it's time you took a break. That we went out together as a family."

Danny finally relented and just nodded. It wasn't like he was about to win this battle anytime soon. Maddie nodded pleased that her son agreed. Jack gave a reassuring squeeze on her shoulder to let her know he had her back. She was always grateful that despite everything else that her husband would stand by her through it all... albeit in his own goofy way.

"Ok then Danny-boy! Pack for a week because we're leaving tomorrow!"

~The Next Day

The tall unfamiliar glass buildings loomed over ever horizon. It was a star contrast to the suburban streets that Amity Park sported. There was hardly a patch of grass to be seen, instead paved concrete roads, and brick laid paths littered every street. Despite the obvious lack of any sort of greenery the city was clean, almost futuristic in its appeal, and had somewhat of a busy vibe.

Danny could appreciate the change... despite the small nagging in the back of his head worrying about Amity Park. His attention then turned to the road as his dad drove as crazily as he normally would. People left and right were cursing his name as he jumped by them laughing maniacally. Good thing the 'Fenton Assault Vehicle' could take a good hit. Bad thing that most other cars wouldn't stand a chance with a head on collision with it.

"Honey that's the place," Maddie pointed as her attention moved to a tall building.

"Lex corp," Danny mumbled in awe. "You managed to get a business call from Lex corp!"

"Yes isn't this great. Now we can get enough funding to actually invest in some real machines," Maddie said excitedly.

"It'll definitely make catching ghosts and ripping them apart molecule by molecule easier," Jack added.

"And don't forget Phantom. We're hoping to invest a lot of money into a containment device," Maddie continued.

"So we can rip him apart molecule by molecule!" Jack repeated in excitement.

"Only after we study him honey-"

"-ok I get it!" Danny exclaimed in irritation. He always felt uncomfortable with the knowledge that his parents didn't trust his alter-ego at all.

"Sorry dear, we tend to get a bit too excited about Phantom. Hopefully this meeting can provide us with the means to make a permanent solution to the ghostly problem," Maddie said softly.

Danny ignored his mother in favour of opening the car door and actually exploring Lex corp. He hoped he wouldn't meet the owner. He didn't care much for billionaires, especially not with the experience he had with Vlad.

"You must be Maddie and Jack!" a rather tall man called out. Danny noted that he looked exactly like the generic stereotype of a geek. He was tall, skinny, had a somewhat giddy and far off expression. His pale skin, overly large glasses, and shaggy brown hair only added to the appeal.

"Yes we are. And you must be Mr Smith. I've heard all about your research on Quantum physics and how it applied to the astral plane..."

Danny tuned out the rest of the conversation between his mother and the odd man. Instead he went to help his father out with the luggage. He felt odd knowing he would be living in an office building for the next week but he knew it would at least he a welcome change compared to Amity's mundane.

"Ah sorry about that Mr Fenton, I'll show your family to their room," Mr Smith apologised rather quickly. He had been too expectant to meet with Madeline Fenton. Her work had inspired him of his own and that was a feat in itself (or at least he thought so).

"Why didn't we book a hotel room? Surely we could afford that," Danny asked knowing full well that his family was in no way poor.

Smith looked at the young boy and was surprised to see him there. He had been too busy to notice and the boy had been too quiet. He was like a phantom.

"Your mistaken. You see this building is mainly office related but there are a few rooms at the top levels. Occasionally Mr Lex likes to sleep where he works. It's just easier if he has a home away from home."

"Wow," Danny mumbled, "Does this mean we're going to live in a pent house?"

"Of sorts," Smith answered.

Maddie smiled at her boy. It was nice to know he was enjoying it so far. The family walked into the rather elegantly furnished building and made their way up the red carpeted lift. Danny felt giddy. It was like this was someone else's life entirely. He had never been rich save the time his parents got a whole lump sum of money and they moved next to Vlad. But that was only a few days and Danny knew he'd taken his wealth a little bit too far that time.

"This will be your room for the next week," Smith informed the older woman as he handed her the keys. "Oh and here's your schedule."

Maddie took the paper and frowned as if she had just realised something. Smith caught onto the worried look after being distracted by Jack's and Danny's blatant excitement with their accommodation.

"Where's Danny going to stay? I know this apartment is well furnished but my son has a tendency to... disappear and I'd rather him not get lost in such a big city," Maddie said trying to keep it between her and Smith. Somehow Danny caught on and responded with a hurt "hey!".

Maddie's attention went from her irritated child to Smith. He had a look of contemplation on his face.

"I'm sorry but we didn't really plan for a child to come along and he isn't authorised in any of the labs... He'd just have to stay in here for the week. He can come to the ball though," Smith said as if that fixed everything.

"I guess I could convince him to behave," Maddie mumbled.

"HE is here in the room, right next to you," Danny grumbled.

"Well then HE is going to have to remember to be on his best behaviour. Won't HE," Maddie replied with an amused smile.

"Oh HE'LL make sure he will," Danny mumbled as he shot his mom a quick glare. He could easily forget about her nosey behaviour with all these fascinating distractions around him. It wasn't until Smith left and the door closed that Danny and Jack quickly took to exploring every inch of the rather large apartment in childish excitement.

"They have a spa! And I have an ensuit!" Danny exclaimed in excitement. Only the master bedrooms usually had those. "And a flat screen tv in my room too!"

"Now sweetie we're glad that you're enjoying this but we have to leave in around 30 minutes so it's off to the showers for us," Maddie said ruining Jack's fun.

"Awe do we have to?" he grumbled.

"I'll give you a massage," Maddie bribed. Jack didn't take it. "In the shower," she added.

"Deal!"

Danny nearly puked. "Aww gross! Why'd you have to go ruin the moment like that?"

"Now Danny," Maddie began ignoring her son's comment, "we're going to leave and I don't expect you to stay in here but I want you to tell us where you're going before you leave ok."

"Wait... are you really letting me free?" Danny asked disbelievingly.

"You're seventeen Danny, and you would leave even when we tell you not to. So just tell me where you're going if you're going anywhere."

"You worry too much," Danny smiled. It made him feel grateful to know he had such caring parents.

"Amity may have ghosts... but in all truth they didn't go looking to kill humans... Most of them anyway. There are super powered criminals in these parts."

"Point taken. Now why don't you go... take a shower," Danny said feeling a little iffy about that last bit.

It wasn't long until Jack and Maddie left to do whatever it was they came to do. Danny had explored every single inch of the expensive apartment and he found it to actually he quite boring. Other than the intricate furnishings and the luxurious facilities there was nothing fun. The TV had all the channels... but that was about it.

Danny felt the need to go out. He was in Metropolis for heaven's sake! This was THE city! This was the home to SUPERMAN. If he didn't go out it would be a massive waste of an experience. So he rung his parents.

"Danny honey, what is it?" Maddie asked.

"I'm going out mom. You're right it's really boring in here," Danny sighed.

Maddie shook her head in exasperation. "It's only been an hour. But if you're going to leave then you have to come home by 5pm ok. We'll be attending an event tonight and meeting Mr Luther. We won't be able to open the door for you before then."

"Ok mum, I'll be leaving," Danny said dismissively. He could get into the house whenever he wanted to. He had abilities after all. Danny swiftly took his phone and walked outside.

The city was brimming with life. It was a beautiful place although he could see the occasional broken building being remade. He couldn't blame Superman considering he knew how hard it was to minimise property damage when you were trying too hard not to die.

Danny wandered around aimlessly knowing full well this experience would have been great with Jazz or Tucker. Sam never went on any sort of shopping trip unless it was to a goth store and Danny didn't really feel comfortable in there.

"Man I wish they were here," Danny sighed. For once he didn't care if Desiree heard him. "Or at least something exciting should happen."

Just as he finished his sentence he noticed that a rather large projectile was heading his way. Danny prepared himself to jump, as his heightened senses tingled with caution, when he suddenly felt himself flung out of the way with a tight grip around his waist. This was followed by the thundering sound of a powerful impact.

Danny shook his head and noted his surroundings. He was in the sky, held by none other than Superman himself.

"Are you alright?" the Man Of Steel asked the boy in his hands. He expected shocked silence. Most citizens had that expression when he saved them. Only Lois ever managed a witty remark but that was because she was saved countless times before. Instead the boy simply nodded and turned his attention elsewhere.

"He's coming from the right!" Danny warned as his enhanced hearing picked up the sounds of the enemy getting up.

Superman realised he had allowed himself to be distracted and fixed his mind on stopping Bizarro. He had no time to put down the boy and instead flung him over his shoulders. Danny instantly grabbed onto the larger man's back and awkwardly held on tight for his dear life... well what was left of it anyway.

As was anticipated Bizarro launched himself at Superman and was met with a very sturdy defence. The two insanely strong aliens fought each other both trying to pin the other down for good. Danny found himself struggling to keep himself on the superhero's back. He suddenly wished that he were part of the Justice League so as to save himself the need to forgo his secret identity.

Superman was having just as hard a time as the boy latched onto his back. Bizarro was packing his punches and while the Man Of Steel could take them on easily, it was a whole other dimension of hard trying to do it with a human on his back.

"You're doing great Bizarro!" Superman insulted. It felt weird having to always say the opposite to his nemesis. Every other villain he fought didn't work backwards like Bizarro did.

"No Bizarro is doing very bad!" the alien clone yelled in anger.

This got Superman a clearing to hit the enemy. Bizarro crashed into a building behind him and Superman quickly went to drop the boy of. He put the kid down swiftly and looked him over just as quickly. Deciding that he was fine he flew back into the air to fight again.

Danny took in a deep breath not quite sure what he should do. This was Superman! Like THE SUPER BLOODY FUCKING MAN. This was the god of superheroes! He had just been saved by his idol!

"Ok Danny calm down. He's a hero just like you- albeit much cooler and heaps more powerful. Get your act together and act like a hero!" Danny convinced himself as he gathered the courage to transform. He would help Superman. Tucker would be soo jealous but he'd have to call him first and he had hardly any credit left. 'You need to focus' Danny berated himself in his head.

"You're going down... weird looking Superman," Danny exclaimed feeling awkward when he realised he didn't know who exactly he was fighting. He hoped Superman hadn't heard that awkward battle cry but knowing his luck he would have. Biting down his embarrassment Danny quickly blasted the Superman look alike with a condensed ecto-blast. He was surprised when it actually hit the alien into a wall behind him. He didn't think he was THAT strong.

"Stay down you tantalising... tyrant- ugh I can't alliterate. Lancer wouldn't be proud," Danny grumbled.

Superman looked at the glowing boy in shock before he realised who it was. Did a cartoon character just come to life? Clark had read all of the comics on Invis-o-Bill. Who hadn't. It had become increasingly popular.

"Invis-o-Bill," he muttered in surprise.

Danny caught the horrible name and cringed. If it weren't for the fact that it was Superman who had said it he would have raged.

"It's Danny Phantom. I've always hated that horrible name," Danny cringed.

Before Superman could respond with an apology to the suddenly alive cartoon character, his attention turned to Bizarro. The clone charged at Danny ferociously. Danny turned intangible simply out of fear. He had hardly dealt with any sort of alive super-powered being before. He didn't like the idea of hurting someone alive either. Bizarro's chalky white appearance may have helped make him look a little dead though.

"Stay down!" Danny yelled as he blasted the clone with powerful ecto-blasts. Superman then took the lead and rammed into his clone, digging him into the concrete and knocking him out. The clone took the Man of Steel by surprise and jumped from the ground knocking him down and flying away.

"He's getting away!" Danny exclaimed.

"Don't worry about him, he's not as indestructible as I am but somehow he seems to be faster," Superman sighed as his attention turned to the small boy next to him. He felt odd talking to someone he thought came out of a comic book. "So you're real. How?"

Danny took to looking a bit offended. "Of course I'm real, but it has been a real pleasure meeting you Superman. You influenced me quite a lot when I first started heroing."

"You mean you didn't come from some universe where comic books are real, or maybe from a different dimension, maybe universe?" Superman asked disbelievingly.

Danny looked at the Man of Steel in confusion. "A different dimension if you consider the ghost zone- but other than that- yeah I'm pretty sure I was born in this universe," Danny replied unsure of what to say or think.

Clark couldn't help himself. He knew he had a public image to maintain and all but there was a _fucking cartoon figure_ talking to him. Then it occurred to him that maybe Danny Phantom was a real hero who had comic books made after him. People had tried doing it to his life as well although it got a lot of bad reviews.

"So I'm guessing you haven't read your comics," Clark said with an amused twinkle in his eyes.

"I have _comics!?_ " Danny exclaimed in shock.

"The Adventures of Ghost-boy Invis-o-Bill and his two best friends Tam and Sucker," Superman expanded.

Danny groaned in irritation. Tam and Sucker… really? And how the heck did anyone get information on his private life? Unless of course…

"I'm going to kill the Ghost-writer," Danny grumbled.

Clark was clearly intrigued. He knew there was a whole world of super-powered beings out there. The Justice League hadn't expanded enough to accommodate all of the heroes yet. It was always an interesting experience when he met a new hero, let alone one who he read all the comics on. It'd be interesting to see how accurate it was.

"So is a vampire named Dracula actually your arch-nemesis?" Clark asked curiously.

"Vampire? Oh you mean Vlad Plasmius!" Danny exclaimed before his expression turned thoughtful. "We're going to end up having a long chat aren't we?"

"Yes, yes we are."

~An Hour Or So Later

"So let me get this straight your parents _killed_ you," Clark said a little disgusted.

Danny shrugged. He told Superman modified version of his story leaving out anything to do with Vlad or his cousin Dani. He trusted Superman with his own identity but giving someone else's away didn't sit well with him.

"When you put it that way it does sound bad doesn't it. But they didn't kill me. Technically the curiosity killed the Danny," he chuckled nervously although he was in no way an avid fan of cats. It was unfair that they had nine lives when he only had half of his.

"And they _hunted_ you right after," Clark pointed out frowning.

Danny started becoming a bit defensive. "To be fair they don't know about it yet and they have this pre-cognised understanding that all ghosts are inherently evil, cannot feel pain, and are just a pile of quote "waste of post-human consciousness". Hopefully their time at Lex corp will change that," Danny sighed.

Clark picked up on that small bit of information. "Did you say Lex corp?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Lex Luther happens to be an avid fan of mine," Superman replied sarcastically.

"Are all billionaires prats?" Danny added a little peeved.

"Bad experiences?"

"You have no idea."

The two fell into a comfortable silence. It was surreal to know his greatest hero was sitting next to him. The same could be said for Superman who until recently thought the ghost boy to just be a comic book character.

"It's been nice getting to know you Danny Phantom. I'd like to hear more."

"Likewise."

Danny was on top of the world! He had just met his idol! His idol! Okay maybe this trip wasn't so bad and maybe things would start looking up.

-End-


	2. The Martian Meet'eth The Phantom

**Heroes**

 **So I wanted to do a bunch of one shots where Danny meets heroes and they chat. It's all set in the same world as the first chapter so it isn't random Danny's from different earths. None of its too serious, there isn't any larger plot, and I kind of want a light-hearted tone. God knows Fanfiction has enough dark stories about Danny's family and friends dying and him being all heart broken. To be fair though I've written my fair share of angst so I thought I'd divvy it up a little. So let's kick it off with Martian Manhunter!**

 **The Martian Meet'eth The Phantom.**

* * *

Danny groaned as he floated in space granted there wasn't any real sound coming out of his mouth, what with the lack of molecules to vibrate. Usually he would be in high _spirits_ out in the _grave-yard_ that was space but there was currently a _black hole_ in his heart. Why all the C-class puns you ask? Well he needed some way of forgetting the fact that a Hamlet monologue was due in 6 hours. So he found himself in space… with the No Fear Shakespeare addition, wondering how this could possibly count as astute literature. There was just too much noise at home with his parents inventing another machine designed to kill him and the sausages decided to use that distraction to plan a coup. Safe to say he- erm- beheaded and boiled them mercilessly for their treason. He just hoped Sam wouldn't hear of what he did… although they were quite tasty.

' _To be or not to be; that is the question… well that's definitely the question if you're still alive, not when you're already half-way to purgatory,'_ he mused.

Despite Danny's musings he did feel a spark of pity for Hamlet's father who came back as a ghost. He tried to put himself in the man's shoes. He couldn't imagine dying and coming back a month later to find his wife had married another man. It would have been as betraying as Vlad marrying Maddie after killing Jack. Now that he thought of it that way it really put a perspective on how and why Hamlet and his dad's ghost reacted.

' _Who are you?'_

Danny jerked up from his book and looked around in surprise. That voice had echoed, almost like a ghosts but with a whole heap more clarity. It was odd… almost like he was inside of an empty hallway and the voice was revibrating from the space inside his head. His head; it was inside his head! Danny panicked and looked around with even more vigour in concern when he noted something off in the distance. It was a deceptively small satellite that he reasoned now didn't look normal at all. No, satellites didn't come in the shape of a classic Star Treck Voyager. His apprehension soared when a green figure, in a leotard and cape suddenly materialised in front of him. He shot back into his battle position and his hands glowed in warning.

' _I will repeat. What are you doing here?!'_

' _Get out of my head!'_ Danny growled warningly.

' _I wouldn't resort to telepathy if we could speak normally in space. Now I will repeat one last time. What are you doing here?'_ the figure warned.

' _I,'_ Danny replied mentally pointing at his book, _'am trying to study a Shakespeare soliloquy before I get a failing grade. What are_ you _doing here?'_

' _What an odd child. I am protecting my dwelling of course.'_

' _Dwelling?'_

Danny's attention turned to the futuristic ship and in an instant he pieced together the dots. A green man, in odd clothes was telepathically talking to him and there just happens to be a cheap satellite spin-off of the Star Treck Voyager not too far away…

' _ALIEN!'_

' _Yes, please refrain from screaming'_ the alien said with a flinch.

' _Sorry, but this is too cool! Which planet are you from? How did you manage to get enough fuel to get from your home planet to Earth? How many more of you are there? Oh my god are you a good alien? Wait you aren't here to take over the earth right-'_

' _I will answer all you questions inside the base,' the man sighed._

' _Wait base. Does that mean aliens are living amongst us? Oh gosh and I called Tucker a crack-pot but I guess I was wrong.'_

' _We are not living among you,' the alien replied with an amused tone._

' _Oh really, and how do you know I'm not lying. Wait, why do you even trust me? No one trusts random glowing children in space without being having some suspicious reason to. Actually why am_ I _trusting you?'_

' _I've read your mind and I know you don't mean harm… and I can't have you studying Shakespeare with your meagre knowledge on the topic.'_

' _Wait why do aliens study Shakespeare?'_

The ludicrous notion of an alien studying Shakespeare was left hanging. Danny really didn't know what to think. Sure if Superman told him he studied Shakespeare that would make sense. That alien had lived on this earth for a while… this one on the other hand- well Danny didn't know what to think of him or even if he should follow the alien into the weird Satellite/base thing.

Once he flew inside it seemed pretty awesome. Danny was suddenly tuned to fan-boy mode. He flew around the base looking at all the cool, state of the art, mostly human tech in wonder. He was so enraptured by the scenario that it didn't cross his mind to question why exactly why the tech was human and not alien.

"This is so coooooool! This is the best day of my life! I'm in a space-ship with an _alien,_ a friendly alien who knows Shakespeare! Oh can I Snapchat this? I have to Snapchat this!"

"Calm down Phantom, this is a secret base so it's best you don't give it away… and there is no wireless connection here."

"Oh right… wait so you live here and there's no internet connection. What the hell do you do then?"

The Alien held out a Shakespeare book and Danny 'oohed' in dawning understanding. He suddenly felt sorry for the Alien. He was stuck here with nothing but _Shakespeare_ to read. That warranted a level of pity no one else had the pleasure of receiving.

"…Wait a second, how did you know I was Phantom?! I never told you that."

"It's just like I know how you're a half-ghost and that your human alias is Daniel James Fenton; I can read minds."

"S-so did you… you know?"

"No I didn't look at anything too personal. I just needed to confirm that you were not a threat. My name is J'onn J'onnz. I was from Mars."

Danny felt some of his fear pass at the man's reveal of his own identity. If it weren't for the fact that his man had so easily read his mind he would have been super excited that he was meeting a Martian. He was still a little excited despite the fear of his privacy being invaded. The Alien held out the Shakespeare novel with an expectant look on his face and Danny wondered what the man would look like with a smile… of course if you were stuck in space with nothing but Shakespeare that would warrant some mental health issues.

"You have a test, do you not?"

"Yes! I can't believe an _alien_ is teaching me _Shakespeare._ I can't tell whether this day is weird or awesome but I think I'll go with awesome."

So Danny spent the next few hours practising his monologue with J'onn and he was finding it rather fun. It was definitely more interesting when an Alien interpreted the scenarios. Danny didn't know whether an alien interpretation of the text would give him a pass mark but he couldn't bring himself to care. J'onn seemed like the kind of person that needed the company and another C on his report card wouldn't make a significant dent on his already poor grades.

Three hours in and Danny knew he had to get back home. He found himself reluctant to leave the company of the Martian he had met. He felt a little better after finding out that J'onn wasn't just stuck here with Shakespeare but also a whole plethora of novels, biographies and history books from Earth. Despite this he resolved himself to taking the Alien out for some real fun… that didn't involve ancient English texts that his _grandpa_ read for fun.

"I have to go," he said with a frown.

The twinkle in the Alien's eyes left and Danny instantly felt like a dick. He furrowed his brows and decided that this lonely Alien would be lonely no more. He always wanted to befriend a real Alien. Superman didn't count because the man was practically a human with the body of a Kryptonian. J'onn however was unfamiliar with this world and he looked lonely.

"I guess it was inevitable," J'onn sighed.

"That doesn't mean it has to be the end. How about this; once I finish my test then I'll come back and we can do some fun stuff back on Earth."

"On Earth," the Martian said with wide eyes.

"Yeah, if you're with me people will just assume you're a ghost and we can crash a theme park in Amity. No one really cares about ghosts there so you can blend in."

"No that is fine. I can shapeshift if you wish."

"Oh that's awesome! I don't have that power and I'm pretty sure it's not going into my ghostly arsenal but it seems pretty useful. Hey, why haven't you explored Earth then? You can if you look human."

"… I was uncomfortable going to such an alien world without a guide. My friends in the Justice League don't have the time to accustom me to your culture."

"Justice League… hey you're friends with them! That's awesome. Wait the human tech… the satellites human design… is this place built by the Justice League?!"

"Yes, this is the Watch Tower. After the Alien Invasion, Batman decided to build an early warning system."

"Oh right… I missed the whole being conquered bit. My whole town ended up stuck in the Ghost Zone for a day," Danny said bitterly. He knew it was wrong to want to be involved in an alien invasion but it sounded like something out of a geeky movie he would definitely pay to watch. To actually experience it sounded… cool. He knew he shouldn't have been thinking that way so he silently reprimanded himself.

"If you don't leave now you will be late," J'onn reminded.

"Oh right! See ya!"

* * *

B+

He had got a B+! Danny whooped for joy in the middle of class despite everything. He had to force himself to not hug Mr Lancer and twirl the man in joy. He had never got a grade of 75% in English before! He always aced Science and Maths but never English. The secret joy of being taught by an alien and breaking his best mark made him jittery throughout the rest of the day. Despite his classmates' annoyance when he kept tapping his table, eyeing the clock like it would move faster if he did, and literally praying to Clockwork to do him a favour by fast-forwarding time, he couldn't help but feel happier than ever before.

He didn't have Sam or Tuck to keep him company these days and the idea of having someone to go back to made him smile uncontrollably. He wasn't waiting to go home and fight ghosts or save some people… he was waiting for someone who _wanted_ his company. So when the bell rang, signalling the end of school, Danny had burst through the doors in record speed. Looking around hastily he transformed into Phantom and shot into the sky, backtracking to remember where the Watch Tower was. He phased through the walls and moved straight to J'onn's room.

"I got a B+!" Danny exclaimed in joy as he hugged the man.

J'onn was momentarily shocked by the sudden contact and then remembered that this was a human way of showing affection. He reluctantly hugged back, a smile coming on his face at the foreign, yet touching gesture. As much as the League had done to help accommodate him to their world they had never done anything like this.

"Oh man, have I got a treat for you! I was thinking maybe we should watch a movie but then I thought that wouldn't really involve much interaction so we're going to an arcade instead! There are so many cool games I want to teach you."

J'onn didn't reply but simply watched with an amused expression as the ghost bounced up and down, glowing body burning ever more brightly as his excitement grew. He remembered the feeling of companionship again and it warmed his cold Martian hearts. He hadn't established a mental link with the boy yet despite this blossoming feeling of joy in his chest relieving the pain of his lost planet. He had heard that humans did not enjoy the mental connections that Martians used to convey nearly all their emotions, so he held back.

"Ok so you if you can change into a kid that would be nice. Not a lot of older adults go to arcades but I'm sure you'll love it. It's way better than books."

J'onn scanned the inhabitants and decided to mix a few of the children's looks. He ended up a dark chocolate colour with bright hazel eyes and a short cropped hair. He noticed Danny looking at him with a pained look and he wondered what he had done wrong.

"Did I offend you?"

"No! No- it's not something you could have known. You just looked like an old friend of mine. We still keep in contact but he's overseas now and we hardly see each other anymore."

"I can take the appearance of someone else."

"No that's not necessary," Danny replied with a small smile. "Actually maybe if you were a little shorter it might make me feel better about myself."

J'onn didn't realise Danny was poking fun at his own height when the alien did as asked. The teen just gave the alien an exasperated look before moving on. J'onn was fascinated by the dark interior and the many oddly shaped boxes that lined the walls. People crowded around some, moving sticks and pressing buttons while transfixed on the screens in front of them.

"What is this?"

Danny mulled over how to explain games to someone who had no concept of them. He decided that sometimes experience was better than explaining so he led the Martian to one of his favourites; galactica.

"So basically games come with different objectives and we have to achieve them. This one is about defeating the hordes of space-invaders. You're one ship and you have to time and plan the right moves to defeat the hordes coming at you. I'll show you and then you can play."

Danny gave a quick demonstration before he died. He laughed at his stupid mistake before smirking in amusement at J'onn's fascinated expression. He gave a quick rundown of what the buttons did and pushed in a coin. J'onn started playing like a pro much to Danny's amazement. In fact the alien was so good that he was breaking the reigning record and still playing some more. A whole bunch of children, teens and the occasional adult decided to come and watch the Martian. Danny was cheering with them in complete fascination. It took a whole other 10 minutes before J'onn was finally defeated and the look of joy on his face was worth it.

"That was… fulfilling."

"You got that right! Half the fun is overcoming a challenge and getting the objective."

With that J'onn proceeded to destroy every single one of the records in the Arcade. Danny was amused at first but after a while he was irritated that J'onn was beating him at the game he played since he was a child. The irritation left as soon as it came when he noticed how _happy_ the alien was. After a few hours the crowds dispersed and Danny left the alien to buy some hot-dogs.

"I got us some hot-dogs," Danny said as he handed the alien his dinner.

"Hot-dogs? I thought dogs were pets? Is it customary on Earth to eat ones pets?"

"Um… they're not really dogs. They're just called dogs. Don't ask me why. I don't know."

"How odd… however I enjoyed today."

"Yeah we should do it again!"

"You would have me again?"

"Of course. I've always wanted to be friends with a Martian," Danny said as he bit into his food.

' _This tastes nice'_

J'onn froze when he realised he had accidently mentally communicated with Danny without his permission. He had done it when they had first met but he wasn't personally acquainted with the boy and he needed to know whether he was a threat. This time… this time he didn't have the right to do so- at least that was the human way. The boy seemed startled but otherwise he didn't feel any ill feelings and instantly he regretted reading the human's emotions as well.

"I am sorry."

"No that's okay. It feels weird but not in a bad way. Feel free to do it as much as you want as long as you don't read my memories. I can understand how it feels to have something that comes natural to you repressed by others because it makes them uncomfortable. My friends used to get iffy when I floated with a tail in my ghost-form."

"You don't mind?" J'onn asked with a hopeful expression.

He had felt so lost, so stuck on how to communicate with everyone that it almost felt like he was mute, unheard. Martians communicated with emotions, with their pure thoughts and feelings… humans were the opposite, always hiding their agendas, keeping to themselves their demons rather than accepting and conquering them. With no one to communicate to for a few months he was feeling so inescapably alone. He knew that letting Danny in would be against Batman's wishes but he had wanted to talk to someone so badly, and the idea of going to Earth almost made him feel like he was betraying the memory of his people. Danny… Danny had given him his sense of connection back.

"I don't mind whatever quirks it is your people have as long as it doesn't involve laying eggs in peoples stomachs which burst out and kill the host."

"What?"

"Oh never mind that was a movie reference. Speaking of which, I can't have you rot your brains, or the Martian equivalent of a brain, with Shakespeare all day. I'm going to make sure you've watched all the joyful movies pop-culture has to offer!"

' _I will look forward to it'_

Danny blinked but in that moment he had sensed all the emotions that J'onn was expressing despite his facial expressions remaining blank. In that moment he understood why the Martian had been struggling. Their species no doubt expressed themselves through these mental connections. Danny felt anger bubble in his chest that people had told J'onn to repress such an integral part of himself.

' _You are angry?'_

"I'm not at you. I just can't believe no one realised how much this is hurting you," Danny mumbled.

He hadn't been any better. He hadn't sensed the pain, the longing in J'onn's heart until he had allowed the mental connection. He suddenly felt all the pain, all the loneliness and all the hopefulness J'onn had felt and he could only feel _empathy._ This wasn't the sympathy that he had expressed when he first noticed how isolated J'onn was, no this was empathy. He didn't just understand he had _felt_ it.

' _I am happy'_ J'onn expressed.

' _Me too'_ Danny replied.

* * *

 **All these character encounters will be rare pairs. What I mean by that is that we aren't going to have too much Batman. He might be in a later one-shot like the others but really Batman's been done already by a lot of different authors who make him Danny's father figure and they do it well. I don't think I can bring anything new to the table with his character that anyone hasn't done before. So throw out some odd hero suggestions... just no romance. I want to keep Danny platonic because a relationship would mean that there would have to be an overarching romantic sub-plot.**


	3. A Magical Date Night

**Heroes**

 **Summary- Danny's forced on a date by Tucker who has enough of Danny's existential moping and ends up making friends with a rather _magical_ friend.**

* * *

"Oh come on Tuck, I'm not lonely," Danny whined. "I've made friends with a _Martian_ and a _Kryptonian._ "

'Aliens don't count! You've been moping around for years because you don't physically age! You can't just put your half-life on pause and you'll eventually have to come out to your parents too. You can't just pretend its normal that you look like a teenager when you turn fifty!'

Danny winced as he pulled the phone away from his ear. Getting an earful from Tucker was just as bad as getting it from Sam, and when his friend raved on about girls it got even worse. Danny was just surprised that Tucker became a ladies man after his growth spurt. He quietly grumbled in distaste as he looked at the mirror. His blind date would probably run away after looking at him. Not a lot of girls liked younger men and the kind that did generally gave him the pedo vibe.

"Are you kidding me Tucker? My ageing is exactly the problem! She's going to look at me once and figure I lied to her on my profile! I don't look seventeen!" he grumbled.

'Doesn't mean you can't try. What's the harm in going for it anyway? It's not like you'll see her again if things go south.'

"But my confidence," he whined.

'It's a pathetic level of confidence if it gets broken by one rejection. Come on man, don't make me come all the way from London to drag your ass on a date.'

"Fine," Danny relented. "I'll go but you're not talking to me during the date. I'd rather save myself the embarrassment of having you listen in when I get ditched."

'Just go Danny,' Tucker sighed as he cut the phone.

After looking his outfit over once more he nodded at himself. He was hot, in a boyish way, but that didn't change the fact that he was seventeen and he still looked fourteen. How he would explain this when he was an adult was beyond him. There must be some form of holographic projection or shapeshifting that he could get his hands on right?

He transformed into his ghost half before making his way into the Thai restaurant he booked. Awkwardly standing by the door was a new experience. People sent him sympathetic knowing looks as if he was a kid on his first date. He'd been on plenty of dates before with Sam and Valerie… he didn't see the big deal back then. Now he was self-conscious about his ageing and that made him jittery beyond mention. It didn't make sense he didn't even really want to be in a relationship! Tucker was just forcing him. Even if the girl did like him, he'd quietly turn her down, although he doubted that she'd like him in the first place.

"You must be Danny…"

"Yes, that's me," he replied nervously, hands moving to the back of his neck. "You're Zatanna then?"

"The one and only," she replied with a smile.

Danny let out a breath of relief when she didn't end up running at the sight of him. He opened the door for her and let her in which she giggled to. He blushed in embarrassment when it seemed like she was treating him like a kid. He wasn't a kid… he just happened to look like one.

 _Oh god is this a pity date?_

The unspoken question made his stomach churn in disgust. He didn't want to have a girl his age take pity on him or treat him like a kid. He wasn't doing the right thing either by leading her on though. He'd have to set things straight and hopefully they could just become friends.

 _Ok Fenton, get it together. She's hot but she's still a girl and you're older than her… whether she knows it or not. Ask for an order idiot! Why are you just staring at your menu so intently? You're making a fool out of yourself!_

"S-so the um… order?"

She smiled at him sympathetically making Danny furrow his brows in annoyance at himself. How could he have stuffed up so bad? Why was he stuttering? Why was he even nervous?

"I'll take the pad-thai thank you," she said.

"I'll go with the chicken fried-rice," Danny ordered after clearing his throat.

They were left back in their awkward silence and Danny groaned. He didn't want to do this anymore. He'd have to make civil conversation and that was hard enough when he wasn't so self-conscious about his looks.

"Look I have to set this straight," he finally sighed. "I know I'm going to sound like a complete asshole but I was forced into this date. My friend Tucker thinks I need to get out more… I didn't want to lead you on."

A guilty expression crossed his eyes before he noticed the same look on Zatanna's face. She coughed awkwardly before a smile came on her face.

"Actually the funny thing is the same thing happened to me. A… friend of mine told me I needed to get over my old crush so I ended up here. I just didn't think you'd be so young."

Danny sighed in relief. "That's cool! We can just have a night out then as friends."

"Yup," she said with a smile. "So Danny, tell me more about yourself. What do you like doing?"

 _Fighting ghosts, making ghost weaponry, saving the planet, you know the general things teenagers like these days... No way can I say something like that. Think Fenton!_

"I like-"

A bright red light formed from underneath and above him. He stopped his sentence to look at what exactly was happening when he noticed it was two, rune like, magic circles above him. He stared wildly at Zatanna with confusion and worry before he jumped from the seat. The whole restaurant sent him looks but Danny wasn't concerned. He needed to get away from the magic circles. He wasn't a fan of magic as ghosts were easily susceptible to their affects. He didn't have many fun experiences with a certain Ringmaster either.

Unfortunately his plan of moving didn't work because the runes, now glowing brighter, hovered over his position. He vaguely noticed his date draw out a stick before his world turned a brilliant shade of reddish white. He shut his eyes from the intense light and blinked them back open when the feeling of pressure left. He blinked weakly and noticed he was outside at night.

How was he going to explain this to his date?

"A boy?"

He spun around to see a man wearing a dark blue robe and holding a book. He flickered in confusion before connecting the dots to the magical circles and realising he had been summoned. His mind spun with a million questions. Who was the man? Why had he been summoned? Why was his summoner as confused as him?

"What?" he finally managed to say before he noticed he was flying. _Flying!_ And he wasn't even in his ghost form!

"I was expecting the feared ruler of the Infinite Realms… not a brat. I must have said the spell wrong."

"Spell… Infinite Realms? Wait you mean the Ghost Zone!"

"Oh so you do know! How odd. Not to worry. I'll just summon a demon instead. It'll work just as well I suppose."

"A demon? Oh no you don't! Those things are nasty," Danny grumbled. "I'm going ghost!"

The magician was momentarily taken aback at the transformation when a disconcerting smile grew on his face. Danny felt dread take over and realised that it probably wasn't the best idea to transform into his ghostly half. Then again a crazy magician was going to summon a demon and he was a hero. What else was he meant to do?

"It seems I might have awoken a fictional character. Nonetheless you are better than any demon. I have no need for painful deals when I have a ghost!"

"Fictional character?! Hey I'm real creep," Danny retorted as he shot an ecto-blast at the offender.

"That's what all animated creatures like to think," the man retorted as he blocked his blast with an invisible field.

"I hate magic," Danny pouted.

He charged at the magician and found himself hitting an invisible barrier again. The force seemed to pile up and slam him back as hard as he hit. He crashed onto the street, breaking the side of a building and a pole as he landed on the now broken concrete pathway. He rubbed his side with a wince as he got back up.

"Oh I really hate magic now."

"Let's see how well you do up against the great Felix Faust!" the magician cackled as he held out one finger. **Alliges duplicia!** "

Before Danny could dodge his limbs felt heavy. He groaned as his body slumped down like a rag doll. It felt painful and wrong. It was like he had been running for a whole year and his limbs had given out on him. He hadn't lost control, not in the way possession ripped it from an individual, but rather he felt tired, like he didn't have the strength to move.

"Now come, the great ruler of the Infinite Realms! We shall wreak havoc until we draw out the little pest!"

"What did you do to me?!" Danny yelled in panic.

"I've taken control of course. You ghosts, so powerful and yet so weak to magic. You're kind are the perfect breed of slaves! Come then Inviso-Bill"

"It's _Phantom_ , _Danny Phantom_!" Danny yelled in irritation as his body moved on its own.

Before the teen could protest at the man's abuse of his power his body was flying at a bunch of running civilians. Danny grew in worry as he noticed his hand had moved up, clenched, in what looked like a punch… and his punches were strong.

"Get out of the way!" he screamed as his fists came flying down. The concrete broke and the following shockwave tore through cars throwing them up violently. People screamed as they ran. His body continued moving, this time shooting at cars and people with his ecto-blasts.

"Yes cause more destruction my slave!"

"I'm not your slave!"

Danny went to throw another ectoblast to his horror at a father and his child. He closed his eyes in fear of what he would see but was surprised when there wasn't any screaming or cries of pain. He blinked his eyes open to see Zatanna standing in front of him, wand pointed out, and in a magician's costume.

"Zatanna!" he cried in confusion and relief.

"… Danny is that you?"

"Yes, this creep is controlling me somehow!"

Zatanna narrowed her eyes as she noticed the book he was holding. "The magnimus grimoire!"

"The what now?"

Faust interrupted the conversation with a haughty look. "The most powerful book of spells. I was gifted it by a certain friend to get rid of nuisances like you," Faust said pointing at Zatanna. "Although I was hoping for that friend of yours to join."

"Constantine may not be here but I'm more than a match for you!" Zatanna retorted.

"That may be so, but are you a match for the ruler of the Infinite Realms? Inviso-Bill, crush her!"

"It's _Danny Phantom_!"

Danny found himself flinging his body at Zatanna despite himself. Obviously he was more than a match for her because her shield spells hardly kept up. He cringed as he rammed into her shield throwing her body into a brick wall. He winced. That had to hurt.

"I'm sorry Zatanna, he's controlling me!" Danny cried.

"You're ghost form Danny, he's controlling your _ghost form_!"

"… Oh! I'm such an idiot! Electrocute me now!"

"But-"

"Just do it!"

" **Gninthgil fo rewop eht nopu llac!** " Zatanna called as she summoned the power of lightning.

A wave of powerful lightning shot straight at Danny, draining his power and forcing him to the ground. A ring of white crossed his body in a fit of self-preservation and he transformed back into his human state. He groaned as he fell down.

"No!" Faust screamed in rage. "You ruined my plan!"

"That's what you get for calling me Inviso-Bill!" Danny replied weakly.

"Danny!" Zatanna exclaimed as she helped pick up the weak, twitching teen.

"What a first date eh?" he laughed.

"Yeah," she laughed back before her attention turned to Faust.

The man had flown up into the sky, his mouth muttering words unknown to Danny, yet the dread worked its way up his spine. Red crackles of electricity sparked as clouds spun in an ominous mix of electric green and crimson red. A giant green portal formed with a figure flying out. Dread settled in Danny's stomach.

"Dark Phantom!" he gasped.

"A friend of yours?"

"Hardly, he's destroyed the whole world and the Justice League before! Do you have any spells to send him back?"

"I do but his power is insane. I can feel it from here," she replied with a worried frown.

The two teen's attention turned to the new summons in worry. Danny felt the urge to transform back into Phantom but bit it down. Faust would no doubt take control of him again and that would make the situation twice as worse.

"Listen to me now ghostly slave!" Faust exclaimed, pointing a finger at Dark Phantom.

" **Slave?! You dare call me a slave you puny human?"** Dark Phantom laughed menacingly. **"I am beyond you mortals! And now that I am free this world will pay and so will Danny Phantom!"**

Dark Phantom's attention turned to his younger counter-part. A feral smile crossed his face before he turned to Faust and swatted the man. Faust slammed through a building, dropping his book before Dan's attention turned to the two heroes. Red eyes met blue and Danny flinched away in concern. Dark Phantom was not someone to be trifled with.

" **Miss me Danny?"**

"Hardly," Danny scoffed, although internally he was screaming in fear. "Hey Clockwork, now's a good time to intervene if any!" There was no reply. "…No answer? None? Really?"

"Now's not the time to be talking to air. Run, you can't access your other form!" Zatanna chastised.

"No way-"

Before Danny could continue his protest a beam of red was shot at him and Zatanna. They both jumped out of the way just in time before the building behind them was blasted through by Dark Phantom's sheer power. Zatanna shot a few spells at Danny's future self but nothing seemed to work. He swatted away every single spell with an ectoplasmic shield

" **Just you wait Danny. I will soon have you as my pet but first I will take out this nuisance. If I remember correctly I had stabbed her through her heart in my previous life."**

"That's not creepy at all," Danny shivered as he groaned and stood up.

Zatanna was barely keeping herself afloat with the assault Dark Phantom was dishing and Danny knew he had to do something. His attention turned to the grimoire dropped by Faust before his complete annihilation. He ran to it and picked up the book flipping through the pages. There had to be something! Anything!

"Come on Danny, remember what Sam taught you!"

He kept flipping through the pages, saying every spell as he went and all of them being so weak that it failed horribly. He finally came to the one spell he thought he could achieve. He mumbled the spell as he flung himself at Dark Phantom's back. He drew on whatever power he had left in his core and flung it out as he clutched onto his other self's neck, preparing himself for the spell

" **Puer natus est!"**

A shot of lightning from the sky rained down on Danny and Dark Danny. The teen jumped away just in time before his future-self was shot by the magic. He was thrown away by the sheer power of the spell before he fell down. He groaned as he got up and looked over to see Zatanna rubbing her head which was bleeding. The ground sizzled before smoking but Danny couldn't see Dark Phantom's figure. A wave of relief overcame him. He couldn't believe using magic worked!

"I did it! The spell worked! I cast a _spell_! Oh my gosh I thought we were going to die for sure," Danny ranted ecstatically.

" _Waaahh!"_

"…What?" he mumbled as the sound of a child's wail caught him off-guard.

Zatanna and Danny moved to the epicentre of the lightning strike and was surprised to see a small blue baby. The magician sent the ghost a raised brow to show her exasperation. Danny shrugged his shoulders in confusion as well. This definitely wasn't what he intended to do when he cast the spell.

"Wait a second… I swear I did a spell to erase him from existence," Danny mumbled with a small blush.

"If I remember correctly the spell you casted was a youth spell," she chuckled. "But apparently with how much raw magical energy you have it was enough to age him far enough to be a baby again. It worked out in the end."

Danny picked up his future-now baby-self with an ambivalent expression. Baby Dark Phantom was… adorable… well until he bit his thumb with his sharp incisors. Danny yelped as he pulled his bleeding finger away before glaring holes at the baby Dark Phantom.

"I hate you even as a baby," he grumbled.

"So who was that?" Zatanna asked as she looked at the once enemy. "Isn't he a cutie?"

"Hey don't coddle the mass-murderer," Danny sighed in exasperation. "If you must know he's my evil future self from a time-line where I turned into a fruit-loop. Thankfully I've managed to avoid that but apparently now I'll have to take care of him… I can't destroy a baby even if it is _him_."

"Good to know you have your core in the right spot," Zatanna chuckled.

A spark of green flushed through the sky before a green portal opened. Danny braced himself for another fight but relaxed when a familiar form stepped through. Clockwork stepped out with what looked like a cradle/cage in his hands.

"Clockwork! Where were you five minutes ago when we had to fight this fruit-loop?!"

"Calm down young Phantom. I knew the outcome of the fight," Clockwork assured.

"…Oh right… Master of Time and all"

"You're the master of time," Zatanna gasped in awe.

"Yes young Magician. Now if you will excuse me I will take Dark Phantom for a _time out._ "

Danny laughed at the pun and happily handed the cursed blue baby to his mentor figure. He was more than happy to know that he wouldn't have to explain a baby version of him to his parents. It'd be like 'hey mom and dad, you know Vlad, yeah the evil fruit-loop that turned out to be a ghost. Yeah this is practically our kid!' Yup he knew that wouldn't end well. Clockwork phased the ghost-baby into the cage before waving a good-bye and leaving in the portal. Danny let out a sigh of relief before he was once again left alone with Zatanna.

"Sorry about the date. It kind of sucked that we were nearly killed," he apologised.

"Don't worry about it. I found it way more fun than a meal. It really takes a powerful megalomaniac to keep the blood running doesn't it?" she laughed.

"Hey you don't say… are you a junkie for adrenaline?"

"Yeah, why?"

"You want to hang out at this theme park in the Ghost Zone? The rides actually try to kill you there."

"Sounds better than Netflix and Chill."

"As friends of course," Danny coughed.

"Definitely as friends," Zatanna accepted whole heartedly.

* * *

The pillows were bliss and the pedicure definitely didn't do any harm either. Tucker let out a blissful 'aah' as he allowed himself to be pampered. There was nothing better than a sauna, a massage and some beautiful women to top it off. It was great being a rich, child genius. Speaking of relaxing, he wondered how relaxed his friend was now that the date was most likely over. Tucker had full faith in Danny. His half-alive friend didn't give himself enough credit when it came to the ladies. He was a little jealous how many girls had shrines of Phantom in their lockers.

"Hey Danny, how was the date?" he asked.

'Oh it actually went great! I took Zatanna out to the Killer Theme Park in the Zone and-"

"Wait _that_ theme-park! What were you doing taking someone out there? You know its dangerous right and did you reveal your identity to some random again?!"

'Well she isn't _random,_ it turns out that she's a hero too and we really hit it off. I mean I was enslaved by a crazy wizard, she saved me, and then we completely wrecked Dark Phantom's ass together. We're great friends now.'

" _Friends_? I thought I told you to get a _date_ not a friend!"

'That's what you're worried about? Did you completely miss the part where I mentioned Dark Phantom?' Danny chuckled through the phone.

"Yeah, yeah, that did come to attention too. But really man? _Friends_?"

'Is that so bad? Plus she just broke up with someone and I don't want to be a rebound.'

"Ok… that's actually a fair-point but don't go thinking of replacing me. I'm finding myself a little jealous that Man-hunter's taken my spot as reigning champ in the Arcade and if Sam finds out you've got a magic girl-friend her spot will get taken too."

'I'd never replace you guys. J'onn just happens to be a really nice guy.'

"Yeah keep telling yourself that"

'Oh I have to go. A ghost is on the loose again. See you Tuck'

"See you Danny"

Tucker frowned but otherwise felt a little happy that Danny was moving on from them. They weren't always going to be there. People moved on when life demanded it and Danny would have to as well even if his body refused. With those thoughts gone Tucker went back to enjoying his blissful treatment.

"Veronica, I really need another full-body massage."

"Anything for you babe" the woman replied as she suggestively winked at him.

Yup… Tucker loved his life.

* * *

 **Yup this chap was on Zatanna. I decided to add a little action in for the episodic affect and because it makes sense that heroes meet each other while saving the world and stuff. Just to get it out again Danny will not have any love interests in this. These are just one-shots with no real over-arching plot-line but a lot of sub-plots like Tucker and Sam's now distant relationship with Danny and his lack thereof of ageing… and definitely the running gig that Danny Phantom is actually a comic book character named Inviso-Bill. It's not really explored, just mentioned when it needs to be.**

 **So I have a few heroes I really want to really do.**

 **-Space Cabbie- this one would definitely be worth exploring**

 **-Green Lantern corps- Danny would love getting to know some space-cops!**

 **-Shazam/Captain Marvel- Idk they just seem like they'll get along. You know both being Superman fan-boys and all.**

 **-Flash- I want Barry and Danny to have an eating contest XD**

 **-Fire-Storm- Can you imagine how much fun Danny could have with another reckless teenager?**

 **Maybe I'll do one where he ends up joining this Earth's version of the Justice League and meets up with Superman again. Throw some suggestions. Heck I'll even take villain suggestions although it'll mostly be Danny fighting them or reluctantly talking to them. Just please don't ask for romance. I really suck at writing it and I don't want to focus on one relationship too much although I'll come back to already done heroes later.**


	4. Hero Of The Small Things In Life

**Heroes**

 **Summary- After a bet gone wrong Danny takes the Flash up on an eating contest and bites of more than he can chew**

* * *

Danny was not having fun. Oh it was fun the first time around but now he was regretting his tendency to start bets he usually comes to regret. He just had to challenge the Red Huntress to catch more ghosts than her. Of course it was for a good cause, meaning Walker's prison had a break out with a few unsavoury ghosts finding their way through to the living world. Danny was not thrilled and neither was the Red Huntress but this was his last ghost to catch and he had caught 52 in the 24 hours he had. He was certain he'd won the bet. Oh he couldn't wait to rub that into the Red Huntress's face.

"I… finally… did… It," he panted.

"Yes you did ghost and now it's your turn!"

The Red Huntress was behind him in a split second, shooting him with her suit. Danny groaned in frustration before he dodged the blast. He had come all the way from Amity, to Starling, then to Coast City and he finally ended up in Central after catching _52 ghosts._ He did not have the patience to deal with Valerie on top of all that.

"We had a deal!"

"The deal was a truce until we finished catching the ghosts and now we did!"

"That's… you're horrible!" Phantom exclaimed in irritation. "How much did you catch anyway?!"

"The bet was just a way to get you to do all the work idiot!"

A well-aimed ecto-blast bought the conversation to an end. Danny was furious. Here Valerie was catching ghosts at leisure while she manipulated him into going at it hard-core! He was more than angry he was seething. Ex-girlfriend status be dammed, he was getting her back for this.

"You're going in the thermos next Huntress," he growled.

"Not in your dreams ghost-"

In one second the Phantom had vanished. Valerie stood her ground as the flash of lightning caught her off-guard. Phantom could have easily gone invisible but she doubted it. That's when she noticed the frightened civilians and which city she was in. After a few seconds she put two and two together.

"Dammit Flash!"

* * *

Meanwhile Danny felt completely and utterly sick. If it weren't for the fact that there was practically nothing in his stomach at present he would have puked. He stumbled into the suddenly different scenery and grabbed at a nearby pole as he steadied himself.

"The inertia! The inertia," he moaned as his stomach did flips.

"Sorry I tend to forget that speed and long distances don't do well with passengers."

Danny took a second to steady himself before he recognised the figure in front of him. The red and yellow costume, the lightning bolts, the laid-back smile- yup, it was definitely the Scarlet Speedster. Danny's excitement grew. The Flash was one of his most favourite League members. Sure Superman was the still the best but he had only heard good things about the Flash. This was the one hero who took the time to help out with the smallest of things. He heard that once the Flash had helped paint an old lady's fence and literally help a kitten from his tree… like that wasn't cliché enough. What kind of lame as cat gets stuck up a tree anyway?

"The Flash it's um a pleasure to meet you! Although next time maybe don't drag me across the country," Danny said with a growing smile.

"Sorry about that. I just saw the Inviso-Bill and the Crimson-Creep and I knew there had to be some dimensional anomaly I needed to fix."

"… Crimson Creep?" Danny snickered. "Oh this is great. At least she gets to see how it feels to get bad-press now! Wait… you don't think I'm a comic book figure too do you?"

"Well yeah, I read your comics but who doesn't? They're great! But don't worry about it the whole League knows you exist with how much you've influenced J'onn. He used to read Shakespeare but now he's into DOOMED."

Danny laughed but he was a little overwhelmed. The _Justice League_ knew _him_! That was awesome! He was only a small time hero and there were a whole heap of other ones he hardly kept track of. It was just humbling to know that a whole League full of heroes who were much stronger and more seasoned than him knew about him.

"That's awesome! This is so cool! Does Superman talk about me? What about Batman? Does he even talk or does he just you know- hide in the shadows and all? Man what about Wonder Woman? Is she a goddess or what?"

"Wow ease up on the questions squirt."

"Squirt? I'll have you know I'm seventeen years old," Danny grumbled.

"Right the dead don't age," the Flash mumbled.

Danny was going to go head in with more questions when he noticed the civilians taking interest. They soon started crowding around and Danny was becoming uncomfortable. He was usually used to the harsh treatment. People generally ran screaming at the sight of ghosts and he was unfortunately still not trusted as much as he wanted to be… well at least not after Vlad's disappearance… which admittedly he had a lot to do with.

"Can we have a selfie!" a young girl asked.

"Sure thing! Come in here Danny Phantom."

Danny awkwardly came into a half hug on the other side of the random civilian girl. She squealed before thanking them and leaving. He was more than shocked at how relaxed these people were around the Flash, like he was a common everyday celebrity. There was no way he'd ever get a reception like this in Amity.

"Hey can we have an eating contest?!" a random civilian called.

"And eating contest?" Danny asked incredulously. He had expected a lot of things, mainly people starting a protest to ban him entirely from the city. He had not been expecting the citizens to casually demand an eating contest as if they had been long-time acquaintances in a pub.

The Flash sighed as he rubbed his temples. He really didn't want to hit Phantom's sour spots. What if ghosts couldn't eat? Was it rude to bring up things that the living could do around the dead?

"Come on folks let's not be rude," Barry called out.

"But I'm sure this hero will at least try! He's a kid!"

Danny shot the Flash a look of confusion and Barry decided he'd at least have to offer an explanation as to why his city folk were chanting for an eating contest.

"So there's this Central City tradition which the press are too keen on. Apparently I'm the Leaguer who can eat the most and so the Taco place I frequently fervent gets me to challenge any hero that comes by. You know because the call me the 'hungriest man alive'."

"Wow, why haven't I heard of this? I bet Superman beat you."

"No he didn't," Barry grumbled looking hurt. "Oh you're his fan-boy aren't you?"

"…Well I do have a little crush… but that's beside the point."

"It's okay if you don't want to do it."

"Are you kidding me?! I haven't eaten in a day!"

The crowd was suddenly excited. Danny gave them a blinding smile before turning to the Flash with a haughty look.

"I bet you can't beat me anyway," Barry challenged with a overconfident smile.

"Oh that's it you're on!"

* * *

Danny was not having fun. First his bet with Valerie had him running around the country for a whole day catching ghosts and now he had the worst stomach ache from challenging the Flash to an eating contest… and it was _Mexican_ food. He knew he would come to regret it but he just couldn't turn down a bet. Now the whole of Central City saw him turn green with sickness after eating too much. Thankfully he had been able to make a quick exit towards a nearby public restroom.

"Are you ok in there?"

"J-just fine!"

He was anything but fine. Thankfully his ghostly form prevented a severe case of diarrhoea but he had vomited out chunky pieces of Tacos and that was not fun. He threw up again before stumbling out of the dirty cubicle towards the water.

"You look… sick. I'm surprised a ghost could even get sick from eating too much," Barry mumbled as he rubbed the teens back in soothing circles.

"Urgh, me and my ego. I should stop with the bets. It'll kill me again one day," Danny groaned as he splashed his face with water.

Barry started feeling guilty. No hero really took the Central City eating competition _that_ seriously… well except for maybe Hal- but that was because Hal was a close friend. Superman and Wonder Woman gave up promptly after the 6th taco but Danny Phantom had managed up to the 24th taco and that was a little too much for a normal stomach. He should have stopped it but the teen ghost obviously didn't like admitting defeat.

"If it's any consolation you beat all the other heroes," he tried.

Apparently pleasing the ghost-boy was easy because one compliment had him blooming in joy. Barry was beginning to like this hero. He could see why J'onn had become so attached… despite Batman being salty that a random hero was allowed into the Watch Tower without his permission.

"Oh that's great! How much did Superman manage?"

"About 6"

"Wow! I beat _Superman_!"

"You sure did. Now why don't we go sit down somewhere? You need to restore your electrolytes… actually do you?"

"Yeah, my body's physiology is very similar to a humans," Danny admitted.

Usually he would have protested being supported in public but currently he didn't mind. Apparently in Central City the Flash was like a super-powered mail man. He was loved, respected but most of all he knew all the people around. It was a little odd knowing the people here treated him like a well-known Mayor or something. Heroes were meant to be idolised and somewhat like a far-away figure that came in during a crisis. The Flash was like the every-day man that everyone knew and loved but happened to also be able to run faster than the speed of light.

"Where are we going?"

"There's this place on a roof that I love visiting. No one goes there and the view of the sunset is amazing. Plus it's the first time a hero's decided to just stick around," Barry replied with a smile.

"So no one just comes in to talk?"

"Not really, Superman's always busy saving every single person he can or with his civilian job. Don't even get me started on Batman. He's way too serious to take a time out from crime fighting. Wonder Woman has ambassador duties and J'onn's too involved in online gaming after you got to him."

"What can I say I'm an influential person," Danny laughed.

"So practically the only person that comes here with me is Green Lantern," Barry sighed.

"Wow you know a Green Lantern! That's way too cool and it's also pretty cool that your city loves you."

"Yup I have a giant gold key and even a Flash Day"

"And here the police are still shooting at me," Danny groaned.

"They'll come around eventually"

Danny's attention turned to the sunset and it was indeed beautiful. The way it hovered behind the buildings, cascading its reaches into the farthest corners, bringing an end to the day… Danny loved it. Life was always too busy. It was small things like this that made life, or his after-life anyway, worth living. In moments like this he felt relaxed.

"It's beautiful isn't it?" Barry murmured.

"Yeah, it's hard to believe that we just ignore it most days," Danny admitted. "Do you ever feel like heroing really drains you… pulls you away from important things. I used to go fishing a lot with my dad before I died but now…"

Barry gave the ghost-boy a sad smile. He had felt that way before too. Being a symbol of peace was tiring. Having to prove yourself again and again just drained you. Every life lost, every civilian hurt, every team-mate injured- it was on you. When you had the power and you didn't use it, it was on you. Then soon you come to realise that you've been so caught up in doing the right thing that you've forgotten the _important_ things in life.

"It's hard to get a balance but once you find it you'll deal with things much better," Barry admitted.

"Easy for you to say, you're like the most loved hero!" Danny grumbled.

"Have you tried getting to know the people you save?" Barry asked.

"…Not really. I usually come in when a ghost attacks."

"Then you should try help with other things. When they know you're human too they'll come around. We can't be perfect because we have powers and we can't save everyone. I'm the fastest man alive and even I can't be everywhere at once."

Danny nodded and took in the word of wisdom. He was really beginning to admire the Flash. He wanted to be like him. Everyone loved him because he was a great person in general, not just for his ability to save them.

"Flash"

"Yeah?"

"You're officially my second favourite hero now"

Barry raised an eyebrow playfully before he put a hand on his chest with a mock-hurt expression. "Only the second? That's harsh mini-man."

"Don't get ahead of yourself. Superman is still waaay cooler," Danny laughed.

"And here I thought most brooding kids these days were into Batman."

"You're probably right about that. He is pretty badass. Hey is he a vampire or something? What's up with the whole bat gig?"

"Actually now that you mention it I have no idea where he gets his theme from. He's practically a normal human."

"You mean no super powers?" Danny asked in surprise.

"No super powers," Barry confirmed.

"Wow"

"I know"

Danny was really beginning to see the world differently now. He'd started meeting people like him and it really put things into perspective. All heroes were different but in a way they were all similar. They were just people trying to find their place in the world, to do some good, to make their legacy. He could admire that trait in anyone, superhero or not.

He was only really starting out his life and he was glad that he was meeting so many people he could share his experiences with. Never before did he think that he would have met anyone else like him. Other heroes were always far away figures he admired but never really contemplated as humans themselves. They were always symbols. Seeing their human side really made him remember what a hero was originally meant to be, someone who showed the best qualities of humanity, someone who was kind, protective, and did things for better rather than for the worse.

"So what powers do you have Inviso-Bill," Barry finally asked garnering a small glare for the hated nickname.

"Well Invisibility, Intangibility, Ectoplasm Manipulation, Body and Object Possession, Flight, Body Bending, Cryokinesis, a Ghost Sense and a Ghostly Wail," Danny listed.

"…Wow," Barry mumbled as he blinked in shock.

That was a lot of powers. His shock turned into laughter when he realised Phantom was blushing green. The abashed teenager pouted as he crossed his arms over his chest. He really hated being in the spot-light, it made him nervous, but mostly he hated being treated like a kid. In a few months he'd be eighteen and technically a legal adult.

"You blush green," Barry pointed out with a smile.

"Yeah and humans blush red. What's the point?" he pouted.

"Nothing, nothing. Do all ghosts blush green?" Barry asked.

"Well we bleed green so I'm guessing yes. Ghosts are made out of ectoplasm. We're like the imprint of a strong emotion or process of thoughts that get engraved into ectoplasm. There's a whole bunch of science behind it," Danny explained.

"Science… well I always figured ghosts would be more inclined to the mystical realm," Barry said with a contemplative look.

"There is a mystical side. Scientists haven't been able to explain everything but that's probably because there isn't a lot of research going into Specterology without the Fenton's."

"Well so I guess I can't ask for your origin story then," Flash said with a smile.

Danny scoffed. "Of course you can. It was a lab accident"

"Really so was mine"

"Electrocuted?" Danny asked curiously.

"Yeah, how'd you figure?" Flash asked.

"Well the same thing happened to me and you are wearing a lightning symbol on your chest," the halfa pointed out in amusement.

"So I guess we're more alike than we thought," Barry chuckled.

"… Hey did you feel tingly for a week after getting blasted with lightning?" Danny blurted suddenly. "You know I still feel like my hand spasms a little…"

"Nope, I was stuck in a coma for a month"

"…Oh… that sucks"

"…Yeah"

The two heroes just chatted for a while. Danny was feeling more and more at ease as every moment passed by. It was a rare feeling, of being so open and friendly. Usually his out of hour's activities required a few well thought out quips, but mostly fighting and trying not to die again. This- this was different. Flash was easy to talk to and they shared a lot of their problems together. It didn't hurt to also get some great advice on heroing and share his frustrations about cliché villain characters they had to fight on a daily basis. Danny swore he ranted for an hour on how annoying the Box Ghost was.

Before the two knew it the sun had set and it was dark. Danny took to naming each and every constellation in the sky much to Barry's surprise but after a while of astronomy rants from the dead teen he was becoming tired.

"You're feeling much better now it seems," he pointed out with a smile.

"Yeah, fast metabolism," Danny replied.

"Another one we can add that onto the list of things we're similar at," Barry chuckled before he looked at his watch. "Well times up. I have a night shift to work today."

"Are you a nurse or something?"

"Nope forensics, evidence is coming in late today, but with how much meta-humans are popping up, I think I'd rather be a nurse."

Danny was a little crest-fallen that Flash was leaving. It wasn't often he just got to hang around with another hero and he didn't have much friends. J'onn usually played DOOMED online with him and that helped a little but he still felt so alone in his problems.

"Hey can we…" Danny asked as he trailed off with embarrassment.

"Sure mini-man, come by any time and we can chat," Barry replied with a smile.

"Thanks!"

"See you later"

With that said he disappeared in a flash. Despite the sudden aloneness Danny didn't feel quite so isolated anymore. A large grin grew on his face. Flash really was the hero of the people. His attention turned to his watch and a dawning sense of dread took over the mushy feeling from before.

"Oh crud I missed dinner!"

* * *

Wow this chapter took way too long to write. I kind of lost my trail of thought when I left it halfway written and then I had to go back to it and write something or another that made sense. I wanted this chapter to be like J'onn's, you know with a lot of fluff. It's not too heavy on the fighting or plot like Zatanna's but the next chapter will be! I'm so excited for the next two chapters. Unlike this one, which I practically winged, I wrote the plot for the next two chapters and there's going to be a Part I and a Part II. Trust me it'll be like a fun mini-movie! Gosh I'm so excited to write it. No angst I promise!

Anyway, give me your thoughts. Did you enjoy? Could I have done better? I think I set the bar too high with the Martian Man-Hunter chapter that everyone seemed to love so much. XD Hope I didn't disappoint!


	5. Sacred Duty

**Heroes**

 **Hey guys I initially had a whole two-part story in mind with a whole bunch of heroes but I was just more motivated to write about this particular story.**

 **Summary- In which Danny realises that sometimes there are more important things than one's Sacred Duty.**

* * *

It was a rainy day. A storm was forecasted and coupled with the cold a lot of people decided it was better to stay indoors. Danny would have been inclined to agree if it weren't for the fact that he had responsibilities. It wasn't Vortex but a ghost was definitely on the loose and his job was to catch it… well technically it wasn't a _job_ considering he didn't get paid, so it was more like a sacred duty than anything else. Regardless, whatever it was, it was his obligation to go capture it and put it back into the Zone.

"Danny-o, are you certain you've got it all down?" Jack asked.

He nodded but otherwise groaned in frustration. Jack was teaching him how to make chocolate fudge as if that were the most important thing in the world to do. He had to catch a ghost right now and fudge really wasn't so high on the list of things he needed to get done. It didn't help that his dad was going on and on about the chemical make-up of fudge and the science behind how to get the consistency perfect.

"Yes dad, I've memorised the elasticity ratio between the heat and the properties of chocolate. So can I go now?" he practically whined.

"This is no joking matter son. Fudge has to be heated perfectly with the right amount of time to get the good gooey texture that makes it _fudge._ "

Danny grabbed the tray, shoved it in the oven, pulled the heat to the right temperature and closed the lid. He quickly dusted his hands and with a proud nod decided that he'd got the job done quickly.

"See done and dusted!" he said before rushing out.

"You forgot to set the timer! Where are you going in a storm anyway!" Jack called out as Danny made his way to the door.

"Sorrydadgottogobye!"

After practically escaping from his cooking session Danny transformed into Phantom and flew. He pulled out his ecto-locator as he now dubbed it. He had placed a tracker on the elusive ghost he had fought before its irritating escape. Well at least it was better than helping his dad make fudge and having to suffer through Jack's long winded rants on the science behind cooking. If there was one thing his dad could go on and on about, other than ghosts, it was fudge. He was just grateful that the ghost had gotten away so he could run off and do something other than listen to his dad's boring repetitive rants.

"You've gone a long way for a ghost," Danny mused as he looked at the ecto-locator.

The ghost had nearly exceeded the range for tracking but as long as Danny knew the general location it was really no problem getting there. The harsh wind and rain however was making visibility hard from the air. It wasn't until he reached the general premise of the ghosts location that he figured that there was no way, with such stormy winds, and zero visibility, that he could find a ghost in the air. This was Fawcett city however and he couldn't just roam around in his ghostly form. He didn't exactly know how people would react to ghosts here.

Danny flew downward into an alley-way. Those were generally the ideal location to transform. It was closed off and easy to go unnoticed in a corner area… at least it was if there wasn't someone already occupying the area. Before the halfa could change forms he noticed a wide-eyed figure huddled in the corner, a measly rag of a blanket draped over the small shivering form. Wide blue eyes peered in from dishevelled raven hair, matted down by rain but managing to show the grime nonetheless. For a second Danny was the one who was in shock. The child should have been no older than 11 or 12 and he looked cold and alone but what caught him off-guard was how something sparked inside of him. This child looked exactly like him to the point that it made him wonder if they were related. Regardless of his apprehension and worry over why exactly a little kid was huddling in an alley-way during a raging storm, he rationalised that he had a mission to accomplish. He couldn't let the ghost get away but was it more important than enquiring for the potential safety of a possible run-away?

Flash came to mind during Danny's thoughts. The Speedster would no doubt put precedence on the child before catching the villain… who could potentially be harming someone as they spoke. Danny glanced back at the exit to the alley way and back to the boy, torn between doing the right thing and his responsibility. A split seconds decision had him decide that the child was much, much, much more important than whatever crusade he had forced on himself. He made his way to the shivering child and wordlessly sat down next to him. The boy looked at him with an incredulous look and Danny nearly face palmed at his own incapability of a proper introduction.

"Hi, um, my name is Danny Phantom, Ghostly hero and protector of Amity Park," he said because _that didn't sound pretentious at all_.

"Billy Batson, some random kid and resident of Fawcett City," the boy replied back with an amused tone.

"Yeah, that was a silly introduction," Danny laughed self-depreciatingly, blushing green, as he scratched the back of his neck. "So what are you doing out here Billy?"

"Braving the weather?" the boy replied with an unsure look.

"That's um, manly and all but where are your parents…. Or um, guardians?" Danny asked lamely.

The boy shut down immediately a frown creasing his otherwise light-hearted features. Danny instantly regretted asking. From the way the boy shivered even more, Danny was beginning to regret that he had ice powers instead of heat powers. He had no clue on how to help the child who looked so hurt, so alone.

"Look you don't have to tell me about them. I figured there's probably a story behind it and all but it really isn't healthy to be out here alone. The storms meant to go on the whole night. I'm sure I can find you a place-"

"No!"

He was taken back by the sudden burst from the boy and the way he had jolted up defensively. Danny was at loss for words. He didn't want to push the boy into doing anything he didn't want to do but he also needed to make sure the kid got home safe… wherever that was. But there was also a cynical part that told him that wherever it was the kid lived that maybe it wasn't such a safe, nice place. He wouldn't want to send Billy back to an abusive household or something but he couldn't in good conscience leave him out here 'to brave the weather'.

"I won't do anything you don't want me to do," Danny said calmingly as he stood up and gave a reassuring pat to the boy's shoulder. "I can understand wanting to get away from nagging parents once in a while."

"I wish I had nagging parents," Billy whispered.

If it weren't for his super hearing Danny would not have caught that muttered phrase in all the howling wind and clatter of rain. It made his heart twist a little in guilt and worry. He had never dealt with children before. He'd dealt with evil ghosts but that usually only required a witty quip and a ghostly battle followed by the press of a thermos button. This- this was not in his resume.

"Look Billy, I want to help you and I won't force you to do anything but I need to know your story so I can help. You understand? I can't leave you out here. You'll get sick if you stay here any longer."

"I don't need help," Billy insisted. "I've been out here since I was eight and I've always been fine."

If that was meant to reassure him it certainly did the opposite. Danny could not imagine how an eight year old survived out in the streets and still looked so jovial. Despite the brave front the boy was putting on Danny clearly noticed the way he flinched when lightning and thunder struck. For all the bravado Billy was still a kid. Danny felt his heart clench. This wasn't right. Why was there a little boy out in the streets with no parents, no support? Where was child-services?

"Billy everyone needs help. Even I do and I have superpowers," Danny replied as he knelt down to be at eye-level with the boy.

"But I also-"

"…Yeah?"

"Nothing," Billy grumbled.

"Come on then. Either you tell me where you can crash at a safe dry place tonight or I'm taking you home."

Billy's bright blue eyes widened in panic. Danny kept a neutral face but internally he was screaming at himself. It was one thing to reveal his identity to heroes but it was something entirely different to reveal it to a little civilian boy. But what else was he meant to do? Judging from the boy's reactions he was clearly avoiding child-services and didn't want to go back to his guardian or parents. He didn't even have the whole story so he couldn't just send Billy back to a potentially unsafe environment.

"T-There is one place," Billy finally replied.

* * *

Billy honestly couldn't come to the conclusion of whether meeting Danny Phantom was a blessing or a curse. It was windy, stormy and cold. If he had stayed the night out he would have gotten sick and staying in his godly form wasn't going to help his human one. He wouldn't have been able to deliver newspaper if he was sick and that meant he wouldn't have had the food to get better. So in a way he was grateful he met Phantom but he was also wary. He didn't want to go back to a foster home. It would make it impossible for him to be a hero and he couldn't ask the Justice League for help because they wouldn't take a 10 year old hero seriously. All in all he was stuck in a really bad place.

"This is the place?" Phantom asked him.

"Yeah, when the storm hit, the rubble covered the entrance and I couldn't get in."

Well technically he could have gotten in as Shazam but his transformation garnered a lightning strike from the heavens and it always seemed to become extra powerful during a storm. If he did transform he would probably have hurt a few civilians. There was the park a few miles away that he could transform safely at but the wind and pelting ran made it impossible for him to do so. Phantom easily managed to pull out the rubble and open the passage way into the abandoned sub-way station. The two walked in quietly until they came at his make-shift home. It was just a small tent with a worn out mattress surrounded by his measly possessions but it was home.

"You lived here for how many years?"

"2, isn't it great?"

"…Yeah sure is," the ghost said with a strained voice.

"Thanks for the help," Billy said with a small smile before it turned weary. "Please don't tell anyone I live here. Especially the adults."

Danny looked at the pleading boy with worry. How could he not tell any adults? How could he leave a vulnerable child to fend for himself? What kind of hero would that make him? Still he was no adult and he couldn't provide but his parents could. Sure his parent's would question how exactly he met a strange homeless kid in Fawcett City, and sure Billy would figure out his dual identity, but it was wrong to do nothing.

"This isn't right," Danny sighed. "Look why don't you stay over at my place. There will be free food, water, and since my sister's moved out we have a room to spare."

"Won't you have to tell me your secret identity?" Billy asked with wide eyes.

"Yeah," Danny replied uncomfortably, "but no one deserves to live alone. I've seen what it can do to people and you seem like a nice person Billy. Whatever experiences you might have had with adults before I promise you it won't be like that with my parents. They're nice people. They'll take care of you until you're ready to tell us your story."

To say he was happy would be an understatement. Billy was over the moon. Do good and good will follow. It had been the one thing he remembered his dad always saying before he left him at the tender age of five. It hadn't really been entirely true since the years passed. For a while he wasn't certain doing good was good for him anymore. What was the saying? No good deed goes unpunished. It rang true living both at foster homes and out into the streets. He wondered if this was his break, the one thing that would elevate his sorrow. He wanted a family.

But he had responsibilities.

He was the Earths Mightiest Mortal. He was tasked with protecting the world from the mystical threats children had nightmares about. Not to mention he had Fawcett city to protect. How could he drop all that because he selfishly wanted to have a home. He didn't deserve one if he couldn't do his job… although it technically wasn't a job because he wasn't getting paid so it was more like a sacred duty than anything. Could he tell Phantom the truth? Phantom was probably only 4 or 5 years older than him so he probably didn't have to worry that Phantom would disapprove about his _sacred duty_ because of his age. This would probably also get Phantom off his back on the case and maybe he could have a friend to talk to when things got too hard. It sounded nice being able to talk to someone.

"I-I have to show you something," Billy stuttered self-consciously. "Stand back a little."

"Okay," Danny replied unsurely but stood back nonetheless.

Billy figured the concrete would dissipate most of the electricity so it shouldn't have been able to hurt Phantom even if it was stormy outside. He braced himself.

" **Shazam!"**

A strike of lightning flooded through his system, jolting his body into his ethereal form. Danny gaped in shock as Billy Batson turned into the hero Shazam! People claimed that he could go tow to tow with Superman and that he had the power of seven gods!

"You-You're…. You're…."

"Yes, I'm Shazam, Captain Marvel, you know whatever you want to call me. The media can't just pick a name."

Danny could instantly relate. "Yeah I understand. It took a while to get rid of Inviso-Bill from the papers," Danny mumbled although he was still in awe. "So you're Shazam? That's awesome! I wish I had an adult form."

In his excitement (by excitement it meant he was poking Shazam's body in several places) he had forgotten the problem at hand. It quickly came back to mind when the hero giggled in a very child-like manner. For a second he had forgotten that despite the man's body (and Shazam was a fine example of man at their manly peak of manliness) that it was just a boy underneath it all.

"Look… I can understand your need to stay here," Danny relented. "This is your city and you gotta protect it. I find it hard to move too far away from Amity unless I really have to-"

"But?" Shazam sighed, knowing what was coming next.

"-but I still can't just let you live here," Danny protested as he pointed at the makeshift tent.

"It's perfectly fine," Shazam replied heatedly.

As if to prove Danny's point the tent broke down into a crumpled heap. Danny gestured at it with a raised brow. He was in no way happy that he was in the right but he wasn't sad either. Billy was being stubborn. There was no way he was letting a 10 year old kid live out in the streets by himself, godly hero or not.

"It was perfectly fine," Billy corrected himself. "I can fix it. It'll be as good as new."

"You're not fooling anyone," Danny deadpanned. "Look I totally understand. As heroes we have an obligation to our _duties_ whatever they may be. Believe it or not I lead a double life too that my parents don't even know about. It's hard enough as it is with them but _without_ them."

Danny let the rest of the sentence hang. He regretted taking his dad for granted. Here was a 10 year old boy, in a position all too similar to his, but so completely different, who would have given anything to have what he had. The halfa silently promised himself that he would really try the next time he and his dad were making fudge.

"Then you understand that I can't leave," Shazam protested. "I can take care of myself."

"No one's saying that you can't. You clearly can take care of yourself but that doesn't mean you have to. Please… even if you really like this place it's not right."

"I don't like this place!"

There was silence again in the empty expanse of the underground tunnel. A faint rumble of thunder could be heard muffled from the layers of concrete. Danny stopped floating and stood on the cold tiled ground as he watched Shazam's mature face take a weary note. It was a sad and lonely one. It was vaguely odd seeing the grown body of a man slump into a sitting position on a child's mattress as a tear slid down. In that moment it wasn't Shazam that he saw but Billy Batson and no matter what his body looked like Danny saw the truly strong character he was. He sat down on the mattress next to him, a comforting hand pulling the larger figure into a half-embrace.

"I really want to go with you," Billy admitted. "I don't like living here. I see- I see children with their p-parents and I want to be like them… but I'll never be the same you know? I'm different. I-I'm not really a child. I mean look at me. I have the wisdom of Solomon and the power of several gods. I have to do this. I have to protect them from the things they don't understand. There's a whole another world out there that everyone except me is vulnerable to."

Danny blinked in shock. It hadn't occurred to him that Shazam took care of the mystical forces, the things the League could not comprehend, the things that they couldn't truly fight. In a world of Superheroes with various levels of ability he and Billy had been given a whole another tangent of evil to fight. Despite everything the League could not deal with ghostly threats and it was the same with mystical ones. Whatever League it was they built, with all their abilities, still could not fight the threats posed by ghosts or magic. He and Billy… they were in this together more than they knew.

"It's kind of like a sacred duty right, that no one else can accomplish," Danny replied with a knowing look.

"Yeah," Billy said blinking in surprise that Phantom seemed to understand.

"We're more alike than you know," Danny admitted. "I also have another form."

Danny stood up and transformed into his human half. He wasn't a ghost anymore, just a normal human kid like Billy. Shazam looked taken aback but Danny noticed the sense of kinship already forming.

"I have a sacred duty too, to protect the Ghost Zone and our planet. It may not have been given to me personally by anyone but a wise mentor of mine told me it was fated. Yet here I am _not_ doing it right now."

"What?"

"I'm meant to be catching a run-away, potentially dangerous ghost, but I'm not," Danny replied even more surely.

"It's my fault isn't it? You need to go right now," Shazam said frantically.

"It's not your fault Billy and it's not mine. Sacred Duty or not there are more important things in life. You just have to find the right balance," Danny said remembering Flash's advice from before. "So please come with me. I'll even cover for you if you need to get to Fawcett quickly."

"O-okay"

Danny sighed in relief when Shazam decided to fly with him. They made their way through the harsh storm and to a nearby park where Billy transformed safely away from civilians. Danny ended up giving the cold, shivering child a piggy-back ride through the rain. Billy was getting a fever by the looks of it but they had to brave through the storm regardless. It wasn't fun and his mind did wander to where the ghost could have gone but it didn't take much to remind him of what was more important.

"We need to come up with a back-story," Danny mumbled as they came closer to Amity.

"Back-story? Like why exactly you were running around outside in the middle of a storm picking up children?" Billy chuckled weakly as he sneezed.

"Now you're getting a cold," Danny mumbled with a frown before answering Billy's question. "I'm good at lying so just play along. I'll tell them we met before and that I was worried because I knew you lived by yourself and that you were afraid of lightning."

"I'm not afraid of lightning. I get hit by it on a constant basis," Billy protested.

"Just go along with it," Danny chuckled as he landed by his house and transformed.

Billy was weak and shivering on his back and Danny didn't want to stay out any longer than he had to. He mused over the cover story for barely a minute before he knocked. The door was instantly swung open revealing his two worried looking parents. He _had_ run out on them in the middle of a storm with no explanation. It was to be expected that he'd get in some sort of trouble.

"Danny what were you thinking running outside in this weath-" Jack cried before he noticed the boy on his back.

"Sorry, can I explain myself later? We need to get Billy dry and warm first," Danny interrupted.

"Of course," Maddie exclaimed with a worried look. "Jack, go get some towels."

"On it," his dad exclaimed as he ran upstairs.

* * *

Billy was lying in Jazz's old bed now, dry and with a large blanket wrapped around him like a cocoon. His temperature was still high but at least he was comfortable and sleeping. Danny had given the small boy his clothes which were a little big but not too big on the 10 year old boy. He got changed into warmer clothes right after and went to talk it out with his parents.

"Explain now," Maddie demanded.

"I… I had met Billy a while ago. He didn't want me to tell anyone that he was homeless so I kept it a secret and you know checked up on him and stuff. I figured the weather was really bad and so I went to see if he was alright…"

"So that's why you were in such a rush to finish the fudge," Jack concluded.

"Yeah"

Danny rubbed the back of his neck guiltily. He had lied about that despite wanting to apologise for his previously rude behaviour. He shouldn't have run out on his father and he shouldn't have taken him for granted and technically he shouldn't be lying to them right now. He felt horrible for doing it but he had to do right by Billy.

"Can Billy stay here for a while?" he blurted.

"Danny, doesn't he have family that's worried about him?"

"Here's the thing… he doesn't like talking about them. I think they were you know-"

"Abusive?" Maddie asked.

"Yeah abusive," Danny nodded despite not being entirely sure about that. "I'm not too sure but if we tell child-services then they'll take him back there since he won't tell them the problem and all… so I was kind of wondering if we could let him stay."

"Of course," Maddie said quickly. "I'm not going to send a child back out there. You did the right thing today Danny."

Danny smiled at the praise and hugged his mom. He had never felt so lucky before to have such awesome parents. Sure they were a little weird, and sometimes it felt like they had a few screws loose, but they were still people with a heart of gold. It must have been where he got his from. With a smile still on his face he went to sit by Billy. He noticed that Billy had practically wrapped the sheets around him like a protective shell. The barely awake boy twisted his way and sent a lopsided smile.

"You're looking strikingly like a caterpillar," Danny sarcastically complimented.

"I's comfy," the boy mumbled, eyes half-lidded.

"Yeah, well get used to it because this is your bed for the foreseeable future"

"Really?" Billy asked in joy.

"Of course. Stick around with me and I'll show you the big leagues. I'm friends with Martian Man-hunter, Flash and Superman."

"Superman!" Billy exclaimed, all signs of fatigue gone.

"Yeah," Danny said with a little chuckle at Billy's display of child-like wonder. "I rode… well actually more like clung for my dear life on his back. We had a little chat later and became friends."

"Is he as awesome as they say?" Billy asked, completely transfixed by the story.

"A lot _more_ awesome than they say," Danny replied with a knowing nod.

"Wow"

"Ok go to bed hot-shot," Danny smiled. "You still have a fever so you need to sleep it off."

"O-okay," Billy relented as he went back into his sheets.

Danny took the time to tuck the 10 year old boy in who couldn't stop smiling contentedly. It occurred to Danny that Billy was not used to any of these intimate signs of affection. It twisted his heart but it also lightened it knowing that at least he could help alleviate the boy's loneliness. Once he was certain Billy had gone to sleep, Danny turned off the night-light and closed the door, wondering for a brief moment if Billy would like to meet J'onn. They both needed some friends after all.

In the mean-time he would be the best adopted big-brother ever… and maybe go find that ghost he needed to catch.

* * *

Like? Hate? Leave a comment! I don't even mind flaming! Just comment! I'm a comment whore!

I had a two chapter arc planned but then figured that this seemed fun to write. I have got a lot of requests for Wonder Woman which I will be definitely adding to the list alongside Batman but really Batman doesn't seem the chatty type (as you've probably already guessed). How did you like Shazam? I thought their relationship was too similar and adorable to pass up writing. Now Danny has a little brother! If you guys like it we can keep them that way or if it isn't popular I can have him move in with his uncle Dudley in a future chapter.

Anyway I promise next chapter I'll have Danny interact with some of the heroes from before and there will be a two-part story arc… involving Vlad. There have been hints in the previous chapters as to what happened to Danny's arch-nemesis so I want the next two chapters to kind of tie Vlad into this world. Yes J'onn, Superman and maybe the Flash will be there in the next chapter. They're not overly important to the plot but there will be interaction.

Anyway, anyone watch the Infinity war trailer? I'm so pumped. Justice League was just mediocre (but it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be to be honest) but Marvel seems to be acing the movies department. Thor: Ragnarok was great!


	6. Space Adventure: Part I

**Heroes**

 **Space Adventure: Part I**

 **Summary- In which Danny realises that things in space aren't logical and that you shouldn't bother trying to make sense of it.**

 **Warning- This chapter is T rated. I mean most of the chapters are K+ but this one has the DC equivalent of Space-Deadpool in it so there are some inappropriate scenes… not too inappropriate, just a little. Also I'd like to thank each and every one of you who reviewed the last chapter! I love you guys for the amazing feedback!**

* * *

Apparently staring blankly at a wall for several minutes meant that there was something wrong. The truth was there was something that was wrong. For Danny that meant a long, long, long time alone in his head to think for himself. It was either that or he screamed and paced the room uncontrollably. The second option would give away his secret so he decided appropriately to pay a lot of attention to the suddenly interesting wall in front of him.

"Mrs Fenton, do you think he's broken?" Billy asked the worried mother.

"It's Maddie," the woman replied in habit before looking at her son, "There must be something wrong. Danny doesn't usually blank out like this. He mostly runs around like a headless chicken when he's worried."

As if on que Danny jolted up from his position, startling the two talking about him. He looked wide eyed and confused but otherwise not quite different. Maddie gave her son a worried glance.

"Is something wrong sweetie?" she asked.

"N-no, nope nothing's wrong! I'm perfectly fine! Everything's great!"

"You're screaming," Billy pointed out with a raised brow.

"You know what. Look at the time I was going to go to Sam's house!"

Danny left so suddenly that Maddie couldn't even remind her son that Sam wasn't even in the same state as them anymore. Billy made to follow but was held back by the mothering woman… not that he was complaining. Meanwhile Danny fumbled onto his phone. He needed answers! This was all his fault! He was a horrible human being! He didn't deserve to be called a hero until he fixed this mistake!

"Superman!"

'Wow son are you in trouble?' Clark asked, confusion evident even through the phone.

"Yes! Can I come to the Watch Tower? I need to talk to you or J'onn!"

'Yes, I'll lower defences for you. Remind me to put you on the system.'

"Great!"

Danny sped into space as fast as he could. His nerves were jittery and that really put him on hyper-drive. His mistake was really driving him nuts and he needed to fix it ASAP before something really, really bad happened. When he reached the tower he was glad the defence systems didn't plot to kill him once again. He phased through the metal and into the hanger bay.

"Phantom, are you alright?" Superman asked looking the boy over with his x-ray vision just in case.

"I'm fine! It's not me I'm worried about. Can you take me to War World?"

The Man of Steel paused at that name. Danny looked at the Kryptonian wondering whether Superman knew of the place. If the man did he certainly didn't show much emotion other than to raise his brows in contemplation.

"You're too wound up Danny," Clark said, voicing his worries. "How about you sit down at the lounge and we talk the situation over. It helps going into problems with a clear head."

"I-I guess," Danny relented.

He was led into the lounge where he noticed J'onn was sitting down. Danny perked up in excitement at seeing the Martian, his heart elated by the sudden mental click that proceeded being in J'onn's vicinity. A sense of happiness cut through the thick tension he felt and he just couldn't help but be affected by J'onn's joy at seeing him. Just the thought of two powerful alien heroes having his back calmed him down… still he couldn't imagine telling them the horrible truth.

"It has been too long," J'onn said coming in for a hug.

Danny chuckled and loosened up a little at the mechanical hug. After J'onn realised that hugging human expression of showing affection he constantly engaged in it. It was all a little stiff and not the sort that pulled you in comfortably, but his failed attempts at it were just adorable… well to Danny anyway. He had heard from Barry that a certain Dark Knight was uncomfortable when J'onn started this new fad of hugging. Danny was stuck with the mental image of J'onn hugging a scowling Batman, and although that was amusing, it did little to stop his mind wandering back to the problem at hand.

"So let's talk then, now that you've calmed down," Clark said getting back to the topic.

The halfa sat down with a sigh. It was nerve wracking telling one of his best friends and his childhood idol just how badly he had screwed up. Sure there was a level of screwing up a hero was granted in their line of work but sometimes it was easy to cross that thin line. He didn't want his heroes to think badly of him because of one really, really bad mistake.

"So just to set the ground work, this happened waaay before I met any of you and I didn't know about prisons for supers or anything, and I panic a lot when things get hard. You know when you panic and then you do something stupid? Like when you forget your English homework and then you copy your friends last minute but forget to change the words and get caught out for copy-right-"

"Danny you're mumbling," Clark said, bringing the teen back.

"Oh yeah," Danny said scratching the back of his neck.

' _You feel guilty?'_ J'onn asked him telepathically.

" _Yeah,"_ he mumbled telepathically, playing with the hem of his pants before he turned to face Superman too.

How could he explain this to the two people he looked up most to? Would they think worse of him? What if it ruined their perception of him forever? Horrible questions flooded his head as he opened his mouth and closed it looking quite literally like a fish out of water.

"We won't judge son," Superman said.

That gave him enough courage to at least start his story. He hoped Superman wasn't lying about that.

"So I'm not technically the only halfa out there," Danny admitted.

"You didn't tell me there were others when we talked before," Clark said with a frown. He thought they had been completely honest with each other. He had even given Danny his human name and contact details in case the boy needed help or a mentor.

"Well, it's like a ghostly rule that no one really speaks of the 'halfas', so to speak, out of context. I mean all my ghostly foes know of my other half and they never reveal it, but for a halfa the rule doesn't really exist. So yeah… you know Vlad Plasmius?"

"Your arch-nemesis?" J'onn asked.

"Yeah him… well he might have been found out by my parents," Danny admitted wincing. "So when they figured out he was the Wisconsin Ghost there was really nothing stopping him from outing me and I freaked out. Like a major freak out. It wasn't even the plagiarism kind of freak out, it was a really, really, really bad kind of freak out. Like if you accidently killed someone and then buried them somewhere stupid freak out."

"You killed him?" Clark asked in surprise.

"No! That was just- you know- a stupid example… oh but I might as well have! Oh god what have I done?!"

J'onn placed a comforting hand on Phantom's shoulder, sending a mental form of support to calm the now flickering teenager, glowing in and out of his ethereal brightness. No doubt Danny felt extremely guilty for what he had done. Superman noticed it too and decided now wasn't the time to be pointing fingers or placing blame. Clearly Danny was feeling guilty over whatever it was he did and Clark didn't want to make it worse by adding to the guilt.

"Calm down Danny, we will not judge," J'onn said softly.

"Take your time," Clark added as he seated the boy and sat next to him.

Danny gulped but nodded. "I might have majorly freaked out and overreacted when Vlad was about to give my secret away. I mean I wasn't ready for my parents to know. It wasn't like they would 'rip me apart molecule by molecule' but it wasn't like they'd let me continue my job either. So before Vlad could say anything Phantom sort of power-blasted him away. We got into a fight and it sort of ended in me… blasting him into space."

Clark raised a brow in confusion before sending his look of bafflement to J'onn. He had no idea how that was a bad thing. Ghosts, from what he knew, were more than capable of surviving in the vacuum of space like him. Their bodies were ectoplasmic and didn't react to cold temperatures or need oxygen to survive and neither were they water based entities.

"Plasmius is capable of surviving in space. You knew that too so what's the problem?" Clark asked.

"…Well there was no real problem at first. I thought with how far I sent him that he probably would take a month to come back and I'd have time to come out properly to my parents. Wait a sec that made me sound kind of gay, not that I am. I mean coming out as a ghost not a-"

"You're rambling again," J'onn pointed out with an amused smile.

"Sorry got that from my dad's side," Danny apologised. "Back to the topic. Well I waited a month and he didn't come and then another month and he didn't come. I swear I interrogated as many ghosts if he was in hiding or something but nothing, kapeesh, nada. Four months and I finally get something and well it's not good. I mean how was I meant to know that evil War Lords and World Conquerors were forcefully hiring Gladiator Ghosts to fight to the death, or at least to their oblivion, in an alien planet on the other side of the galaxy? I mean does that come to mind when you think space? I didn't even know aliens existed before then- of course not counting you Superman, because you're totally the coolest alien other than J'onn of course. I mean both of you are equally cool of course! …I'm rambling again aren't I?"

Clark sighed while J'onn chuckled in amusement. Danny blushed green as he realised he was ranting on and on about an awkward topic. He couldn't help it. He usually went in shut-down mode or on rants when he was nervous and well he couldn't just shut-down in front of his heroes!

"So Vlad Plasmius has become a gladiator in an alien planet?" Clark asked, getting back on topic.

"…Yeah, now I feel like a real dic-"

"Language," Clark chastised.

"I feel like a real… nasty person?" he tried, eyeing the Man of Steel with an amused expression.

"Much better," Clark said before coughing to suggest Danny move on.

"Anyway," Danny drawled, "So I came here to ask if you know a way to War World. I mean you have a Green Lantern on the team and they have ships to get to places right?"

"Unfortunately Green Lantern and Flash are off on a mission together," J'onn informed.

"I do know a really good way to get there but I'll have to come with you," Superman said with a frown. "I've been to War World, and Mongol is not a man you want to fight."

"I mean it's not like I'm there to take down his whole regime or something. I'll go in, get Vlad out incognito and come back here. No need for the whole theatrics."

"I agree with Phantom, Cal, you lose your strength in War World due to the Red Sun," J'onn pointed out. "I'll go instead."

"I'm going alone!"

With that Danny had made up his mind. He was the one that made this horrible mistake and he'd be the one to fix it. Sure Vlad was a very unsavoury character but he didn't deserve to be enslaved into gladiatorial battle for the rest of his half-life. Plus, other than Dani, Vlad was the only one like him and despite all their rivalry, and all their immature pranks, Danny did not hate the man. In fact he had always hoped for a better relationship with Vlad. They were so alike but so unalike all the same and it hurt- hurt to know the one person who could share in his pain, wanted too much of him to really form the relationship they could have had.

"That is unwise. Have a League member accompany you Danny," J'onn replied with a frown.

"It's my mistake to fix. I need to apologise to him on my own," Danny pleaded. "He doesn't deserve this… so tell me how to get to War World and I'll take him back on my own."

Clark sighed. If there was one thing he knew, it was that the younger generation of heroes could be really stubborn. He just had to look at Batman's son and his multiple Robin's to know that when they set their minds to something no one could get in their way. He didn't like the fact that he was sending a 17 year old kid to War World on his own, when he himself could barely hold his own against Mongol, but there was no point stopping the unstoppable. He'd just have to send the kid in prepared.

"Okay, okay but you have to promise me you won't fight Mongol and this will be an infiltration and retrieval mission," Clark sighed.

"Yes sir!"

Clark took out his phone and paged a Cab. He hoped Danny wouldn't end up getting side-tracked on the way there but that was unlikely. He knew just how much of a space fan-boy the half-ghost was.

"Who are you texting?" J'onn finally asked, voicing the two heroes questions.

"A cab of course"

How a cab could possibly help him get to War World was beyond Danny but he soon was about to figure it out.

* * *

"This is so coooool!"

Danny was beyond excited and in that excitement completely forgot about his mission altogether. Yes he was in a cab, yes it was sort of worn down and normal looking, but it was more than just a cab, it was a _space_ cab! A _space_ cab! He didn't know how to emphasise how cool that was. Apparently the driver was more than amused at his awestruck expression.

"So where to Inviso-Bill?"

Danny's excitement was replaced with irritation but even the mention of that cursed moniker didn't dampen his spirits. He looked at the cab driver with an apologetic look. He had completely ignored the man in favour of revelling in this awesome situation he was in. The driver was wearing a green button up jacket, with a matching green hat and had auburn hair that reminded him so much of his sister.

"War World please," Danny said, eyes cast out to the wide expanse of space.

"Sorry, didn't introduce myself. I'm Space Cabbie, your galaxies resident Space Cab driver and member of the Cosmic Order of Space Cab Pilots. Man it's a pleasure to meet you! I've read all your comics! I'm a big fan!"

The halfa groaned in irritation, shrinking in on himself at the mention of those comics. No amount of threatening the Ghost Writer could help… but to be fair Ghost Writer was way too OP for him to even think of harming.

"Does the whole _galaxy_ read those?" he whined.

"Not a fan?" Cabbie asked with a raised brow. "I mean I assumed you would like them cause you know- they're about you…"

"No way! I mean they never get my nose right! It isn't hooked like that, and my name is not Inviso-Bill, it's _Danny Phantom,_ but somehow it's so stalker level accurate that it's creepy," Danny ranted.

"But it's a great way to entertain the customers," Cabbie hummed.

In front of him, stuffed unceremoniously into the seats backing were several books. Danny grabbed them with growing dread and looked through the first few issues of the comic. He cringed so much he was afraid his face would permanently remain in that expression. It was his comics. The adventures of Inviso-Bill and his best friends Tam and Sucker. He promptly put them away unable to mask his irritation.

"By the way can I have a picture?"

Danny raised a brow in question.

"…Well you see, I take pictures with all of the galaxy's celebrities," Cabbie answered with an awkward smile.

"So picture"

"Yeah sure"

Danny smiled shyly at the camera facing him and Cabbie. One snap and the picture printed out. When Cabbie pulled down the left , rear-view mirror to stick the picture on, Danny's interest was quickly caught. There were several other pictures of different figures with the overly enthused cab-driver. Danny caught Superman, Batman, a few others that he hadn't heard of but was mostly shocked by one certain figure.

"No way! _Darkseid_ takes the cab?!" Danny all but screamed. "I mean sure it's the coolest space cab in the universe but he takes the _cab_!"

He took a moment to let that sink in before cracking up in laughter. _The_ Darkseid, conqueror of worlds, Emperor of Apokolips, and bane of the Justice League took the _cab_! Danny was caught between amusement and confusion.

"There has got to be a story for that," Danny said, interest peaked.

"Well sometimes even War Lords lose their ship keys," Cabbie replied with a growing smile.

"Oh this has got to be good. Continue!"

With that said Danny began listening to Space Cabbie's tales of his adventures. It was interesting, so literally out of the world and ridiculous that it got Danny really wondering about the specifics of the galaxy. Sure he did a lot of things on Earth that were pretty bizarre, and they were pretty important things but he hadn't considered what life was like off-world. He listened to the stories of Cabbie helping a sick Superman across the time stream, about the time he accidently aided the Green Lanterns corp through intelligence he gained by chatting with unsavoury customers, and how he came to gain the reputation of taking anyone anywhere in the universe. To say Danny was in awe was an understatement.

"I thought I'd never say this in my life but I really want to be a cab driver now," Danny admitted with a large smile.

"Gee thanks," Cabbie replied before the sounds of clicks and beeps took his attention to the piece of paper that printed from his car.

"What's that?" Danny asked curiously.

"Urgh," Cabbie groaned as he pulled his hand down his face dramatically. "Why does it always have to be Lobo?"

"Lobo?" Danny asked in confusion.

"Yeah, a really annoying Space Biker who's more trouble than he's worth but business is business. I can't turn him down even if I want to and you both happen to be going in the same direction so we'll just have to pick him up."

"Space Bikers… the world just keeps getting stranger and stranger," Danny mumbled.

They talked comfortably for the remaining time together. Danny was really beginning to like Cabbie. Was there a space website somewhere where he could review the service provided? He would give the man five stars. The trip was great… well it _was_ great until a certain someone got in as well. Danny found himself squished to the side, surrounded on one side by metal and on the other by a hulking mass of pure muscle. Lobo was big, and by big, it meant he took up more than two thirds of the space in the back. If it weren't for how uncomfortable he was he would have been impressed by the alien's sheer manliness. He kind of envied that.

"As always the cabs too small," Lobo laughed, reaching his arms out and giving Cabbie a rough pat. The cab shook at his rough gestures alone and it was obvious just how irritated the driver was when he had to adjust his green hat again and steady the cab.

"Please don't move," he groaned.

Lobo's attention turned to the squished boy next to him. "Inviso-Bill right, big fan of your comics."

"Nice to meet you too," Danny said, groaning in irritation. _Did everyone think he was Inviso-Bill?_

"Going to War World huh! Are you going for the new Champion?"

"New Champion?" Danny asked.

"Plasmatus or something. I head he was good so I came to see but ma bike broke down. Cursed Wabbersnaggles," he grumbled.

"Wabbersnaggles?" Danny asked torn between amusement and confusion.

"Them fucking Space Truckers," Lobo grunted, breaking the can in his hands out of irritation.

"Space Truckers… you know what forget I asked," Danny mumbled before he decided he'd at least try to start a friendly conversation. "So Lobo what do you do?"

"I'm a Bounty Hunter and a one of a kind man," he replied with a cocky smile. "You know any hot babes worth mentioning?"

"Um… not really"

"Don't listen to him Danny, he's a rotten apple," Cabbie said with a frown. "Killed his whole species so he could be 'special'."

"That ain't nice Cabbie. I'll give ya a bad review on Space Cabs Online."

 _What do ya know there was a review website_ Danny mused.

"I still ain't killed everyone. My cursed 4th grade teacher, _Miss Trabe_ ," he said spitting her name, "is somehow still alive. She eludes me!"

Danny stared at the man sitting next to him. He was sitting next to someone who committed mass-genocide! The man killed billions of people but couldn't off his 4th grade teacher? Why was that the most notable question he had and more important he was a hero so shouldn't he technically be fighting the man? Well he did have a mission to save Vlad and that strictly was priority number one… that and he didn't really want to fight Lobo. If the man's looks were any factor in his strength then he didn't want to completely die.

"I'm a hero and all… so?" Danny asked, cocking a brow to show his confusion.

"Aww come on kid, we're here to watch the show. Try to kill me later, not that you can 'cause I'm immortal," the man replied with a grunt.

"Immortal?"

"Yeah got kicked out of heaven and hell. Nobody wanted me," Lobo grunted.

"I'm sorry?" Danny apologised although he didn't know if something like that deserved condolences.

His mind was spinning in confusion. Absolutely nothing here made sense. First he figured out that Darkseid takes the Space version of a Cab service, the next thing he knows is that apparently Space Bikers and Truckers exist, not to mention there was an off-duty mass-murderer sitting next to him who was kicked out of both heaven and hell. Apparently the after-life was just proven to him. That certainly put into perspective his atheistic beliefs. Today wasn't making any sense so he aptly decided that he wouldn't dwell on any of it lest he want to go insane.

"That's the end of the trip. It's been a pleasure meeting you Phantom… can't say the same for you Lobo," Cabbie said dryly as he looked at the Space Bounty Hunter.

"I'll grow on you soon Cabbie. You just wait," Lobo shrugged.

"Thanks for the ride. So do I just page you again when I need a ride back?" Danny asked

"I'll wait around," Cabbie replied as the doors shut.

Danny turned around and took a good look at this world. There were aliens of all species from all different planets. Guilt about Vlad was still nagging the back of his head but it was drowned out by his sheer excitement at being out in space. This had been his dream since he was a little 5 year old and technically it was way cooler than he imagined. His awe turned into irritation when Lobo wrapped his giant arm around his neck and ruffled his hair.

"Let's go kid! We have a few hours to spare at a brothel before the games start."

"W-what?" he spluttered.

"Now I know what you're thinking. The great and, might I say handsome, Lobo does not share his women, but it's not every day you meet your favourite comic book character so I'll make an exception."

Danny however had gone brain dead at the mention of one word. His mind reeled at the implications sending a heat to his face he could not for the death of him stop.

"B-b-brothel," Danny stuttered, blushing a bright green.

"… You're a virgin!"

The exclamation from the giant pasty man garnered a few looks from the aliens around who snickered their amusement in their own alien forms. If it was possible Danny's face turned an even brighter shade of neon green.

"D-don't scream that out," Danny cried in mortification.

"It's not every day I can rip the innocence out of my favourite comic book character," Lobo hummed in thought. "I will teach you the wonders of women."

"W-wait since when did you get to decide that," Danny yelped.

A few aliens started whispering 'Inviso-Bil'l. Danny grumbled again, wondering just how much Ghost-Writer had marketed those dammed comics for it to be popular all the way over on the other side of the milky way. It made absolutely no sense how everyone liked reading that trash! Now that there was attention on him Danny was worrying over how exactly he could sneak around incognito to find Vlad. In his internal grumbling he hadn't payed attention to Lobo until something large dropped on his head. It was a weighty garment and Danny realised that it was Lobo's overly large jacket.

"Use it to cover up kid. We're going in incognito," the man exclaimed with a fist to the air in a show of dramatics.

Danny pulled over the hoodie and put the jacket on thankfully before he realised the arms were way too long on him and it looked more like a dress than a jacket. It wasn't that he was small (he still had the body of a 14 year old in his defence) but rather Lobo was a really, really large man. His musings were cut short when Lobo practically pulled him up by the jacket, as if he were a common house cat.

"Let's go have some fun."

He really didn't want his first time to end up in the hands of a prostitute. He desperately needed to find a way out of this.

"Wait!"

"You're not getting out of this," Lobo said with a dark smile.

"But I was hoping to meet up back stage with Plasmius!"

"…I'm listening"

Danny sighed in relief when Lobo stopped. The man was strong, no doubt knew his way around this world and he came to see Plasmius fight. Cogs in his brain started shifting as Danny formulated a plan. A smile grew on his face. If meeting Vlad was going to be hard before it certainly got a whole lot easier.

* * *

 **Yaasss! Part** **I** **is finished! I really wanted to write these two chapters! I mean I absolutely love Space Cabbie and Lobo. Everything written about those two characters are canon to the comics and I tried to stay true to their character and mannerisms. Lobo happens to be a party animal and now he's going to drag Danny into his shenanigans! XD**

 **I'm planning to keep the pacing this way. A few chapters of pure fluff and then to change it around a bit I'll add some interesting story driven chapters here and there with some underrated, and not often used characters. If you want to compare my story to anything then it's kind of like a mix of one shots and an episodic take on a Danny Phantom show if it happened to be set in the DC universe.**

 **After part** **II** **I promise I'll do the chapters on Wonder Woman and Batman. Until then give me thoughts on how I could improve the characters and plot. Did you like it, love it, hate it? Tell me or I won't know! Also I'd like to thank each and every one of you who reviewed the last chapter! I love you guys for the amazing feedback! Yes Billy will have another solo chap later!**


	7. Space Adventure: Part II

**Heroes**

 **Space Adventure: Part II**

 **Summary- In which Danny learns that there really is no one quite like him**

* * *

Sneaking around was easy for a ghost but sneaking around while visible and next to one of the largest, manliest men in the galaxy, was not. Lobo was anything but inconspicuous and Danny was beginning to realise that he was a pretty known figure in the wide galaxy. A few aliens after witnessing him decided to run in the opposite direction. Despite these problems Danny knew he needed Lobo. The pasty white alien knew his way around War World. Beyond that Danny knew he was a good judge of power and Lobo seemed the kind that had power in spades. It also didn't help knowing that the man was actually immortal, as in even mortal wounds could not kill him. He didn't have the energy or will to make enemies with someone like that.

"You have no clearance here," one of the trembling guards said, literally shaking in his boots under Lobo's haughty smirk.

One large hand went on the alien's head. "Move aside," Lobo grunted which was apparently enough to scare the living hell out of the now compliant guards.

"You know I can just make us invisible right," Danny pointed out.

"Where's the fun in that? I can't squish any heads," Lobo replied in all seriousness.

"… Please don't squish any heads while I'm here," Danny sighed.

The teen huffed as he crossed his arms. Lobo was certainly a demanding partner. He hadn't gotten to make any decisions since he met the Space Biker. He was currently hanging from the jacket in the man's grip. If it weren't for the fact that he was a glowing beacon of attention, and that he needed someone to direct him (and also possibly protect him from Mongol), he would have ditched Lobo by now.

"Do you even know the way?" he asked.

"Of course I do. I was a gladiator for a while"

"I'm guessing by choice"

"Isn't it obvious?"

Finally the winding hallways, pristine and bright in nature turned an eerie red, the corridors now widening and yet remaining darker than ever. A chill ran up Danny's spine. There were chortles of laughter, distant cries of mercy, continuous mad mumbling, and roars of anger echoing through the chambers.

"You know this is the part of the movie where we run the other way," Danny said, voice slightly quivering with nervous laughter.

"It's not so bad"

Danny was about to object when the final door slid open. He had expected mad gladiators to pool at them with crazed bloodthirsty vigour… but this- this was unexpected. Burly men and women, all exuding a sort of danger in their stance was lounging around, arm-wrestling, drinking and some even playing alien chess. The sounds echoing behind the door now seemed a whole lot less ominous and a whole lot more normal.

"What, were you expecting cages?" Lobo laughed as he finally dropped the boy.

"I mean… yeah? Aren't they gladiators?"

Before his question could be answered a large rock like alien came and fist-bumped Lobo. Danny cocked a brow in confusion as he witnessed the two large alien men act like long term buddies.

"You aren't supposed to be here. Mongol gets mad," the alien pointed out.

"Yeah well he can suck my dick," Lobo grunted. "I've come to talk to Plasmatus or something."

"Plasmius," the alien corrected. "He's the current champion so the bastard gets to enjoy the spoils."

Danny was thrust forward by Lobo's large pats to his back. He grunted his annoyance but otherwise let himself be led by the alien Biker. He walked through the sea of gladiators raving and having a general party until they reached a large door. It was ornate with reds, purples and golds with what ended up looking like a giant Spartan helmet. It was swiftly pried open by Lobo. The first thing Danny noticed was the large walls, the rather quiet nature of this room, and the obviously well-furnished nature of it all. Animal skins lay strewn across the floor, something he knew Sam would no doubt seethe at. Various amalgams of alien ornaments lay around, strung from the ceiling, atop pedestals and hammered into the walls. Lobo parted a red curtain and Danny followed him in.

Atop a pile of satin pillows and silk red sheets sat the man he was looking for. Danny simply gaped at Vlad in confusion. In his head he had replayed all the worst possible scenarios he was fretting about before he came, but now he was feeling stupid for feeling guilty. Vlad looked happier and healthier than he had ever seen before, and the man was surrounded by half naked laughing alien girls. Any other situation and Danny might have felt a little jealous, but right now he was finding himself used to the feeling of bafflement.

"Vlad, what the heck?" he stuttered, unsure of where to go with the conversation starter.

"Daniel, must you ruin my day even when I'm on the other side of the galaxy?"

"Ruin your day? You know how worried I was?! I thought you were dead, or enslaved, or had your arm chopped of in a battle!"

This time it was Lobo who looked perplexed. "Am I interrupting something here?"

"Yes!" both halfas shouted at the same time.

"I'll just go get a drink," Lobo replied before he smirked and silently whispered to himself, "This looks like entertainment."

Danny turned back to Vlad. "You make no sense Vlad! Let's go back to Earth."

"Now tell me why I would go back?" he growled.

"T-This… you're a gladiator. Vlad they _enslaved_ you! How can you not want to go back?!"

"Firstly my businesses have no doubt gone to my shareholders now that my identity was revealed, secondly there's no one there for me, especially now that Maddie is lost to me, and thirdly… well I've got everything I want here; fame, recognition, power, women! Do you want any more reasons Daniel?" he spat.

If there was any way this situation could have played out, Danny was not expecting it to play out this way. Vlad actually wanted to stay a gladiator. Danny looked at the material riches all around him, the women, the decadence, the general gore Vlad revelled in and he didn't like it one bit. This wasn't freedom. Vlad had just found another way to enslave himself. The man claimed to be happy but Danny knew he wasn't. This wasn't really what Vlad wanted. He might have amassed wealth, and power in spades wherever he went but that was because he could never truly have what he _really_ wanted. In a way Danny had hoped to be the person to give Vlad what he really wanted but he knew the cost of that was too high. It didn't mean he wouldn't try though.

"You are not in your right mind. Come on let's go home," Danny pleaded moving forward, eyes glowing brightly.

"Don't think for a second you can tell me what to do child," Vlad spat, standing up from his seat.

"This is my fault so let me fix it," he replied heatedly.

"And just how you are going to fix this?" Vlad scoffed.

"If I have to use force I will!"

The two halfas now stood ready to fight, stances terse as Danny's hands glowed a bright green and Vlad's a bright pink. Vlad was the first to fire. Danny weaved through the array of plasma blasts thrown at him barely dodging as they singed his sides. Vlad had gotten better and Danny knew it. The younger halfa pulled out his ice powers, slamming it into Vlad as it encompassed his sides and held him down.

"You've gotten smarter," Vlad complimented, "but I've gotten stronger!"

Vlad broke through the construct as he slammed Danny into the wall behind him. The younger halfa groaned in pain as he hit his head hard against the metal but Vlad did not stop. The man slammed a hand into the boy's side and blasted him at point blank range. Danny screamed as he was blasted through the floor but recovered enough to notice that Vlad had flown to attack him more. He constructed an ectoplasmic shield as he slammed through the gladiators rooms. Vlad continued his assault but Danny held the shield strong until he finally dispatched the shield at Vlad in a burst of energy. The older halfa was blasted through the concreted floor as he descended into the bottom floor of the base

"Give it up Vlad! I've always beaten you!" Danny shouted through heaving pants.

"Not this time," Vlad growled. "I've learnt a trick of yours too!"

Legs widened in stance, arms braced backwards, fist clenched as Vlad breathed in. In a split second Danny realised with wide eyes what the man was trying to do. Danny braced himself in the same stance just as quickly, pulling his breath, and all his energy into his lungs

They let it out in a wail.

The shattering sound collided, green against red, and the buildings itself shook at the sheer force. Both halfas put everything into this last ditch effort, struggling and waning in their fight to win. The sound of a thousand horrid screams was released, the energy building up as the pure power of misery collided. For what seemed like an eternity there were only screeches of their echoed pains before it stopped.

There was a screaming silence before the colliding wails of exertion imploded, sending a shock wave of power outward. Both halfas found themselves blasted respectively into the walls as they transformed back into their human selves. Danny groaned, his whole body ached, his vision was blurry and the world seemed like pain itself. This was his first time being the one the ghostly wail was directed at. Despite the burning pain all over he forced himself to stand up, hands holding his sweltering chest in agony but an even more determined expression on his face. Vlad stood up too, flicking his hair back and letting out a pained laugh as he winced at every movement. The two men charged at each other in their human forms, punches thrown.

They struggled against each other, punches, kicks and blocks thrown together in instinctive movement. For all the pain it brought the two kept going and going, letting out all their emotions in a catharsis of blows. They moved until they could no more, their bodies on the ground, kneeling from exertion. Danny gasped as his limbs felt like led, refusing to move, blood poured into his left eye, half blinding him. The struggle became sluggish until something snapped in Danny. He collapsed into Vlad's chest in exhaustion.

"You win," he panted as tears pricked his eyes.

"Why?" Vlad asked. _Why are you fighting me? Why do you try so hard? Why do you care?_

"The first time we met," Danny began, wheezing through breaths, "I was so happy. There… there was someone like _me._ In the end you asked for too much… but there's no one else quite like us."

"Dani-"

"-Does it matter? She's not there… now neither are you."

Danny pulled away from Vlad's chest as he slumped backwards and drew himself into a knee. He was too tired, too exhausted to try and get his bearings again. His whole body was in pain but there was something more- a feeling of loss that made it all the more unbearable.

"We both wanted something we couldn't get," Vlad chuckled mirthlessly as he too slumped down.

The blinking of red lights and sounds of loud horns took Danny's attention away from Vlad. The alarms were wrung so he was probably in a whole heap of trouble. He shakily got up, sending Vlad a wonton look before he felt large arms around his waist. Lobo had picked him roughly, which for once he wasn't annoyed with, considering he probably couldn't run in his state.

"The show was great and all but we got to go. Mongol knows we're here. See you Plasmatus!"

"It's _Plasmius_ ," the older halfa groaned as he waved them away dismissively before collapsing in exhaustion.

Danny found himself going in and out of conscious as Lobo manhandled him through the buildings labyrinth like structure. He vaguely remembered the sounds of screaming and energy blasts as they escaped. It wasn't until he was roughly shoved into the Space Cab that he got sense of his bearings again.

"You had to rile up the whole world didn't you?!" Cabbie shouted.

"Just go already!"

The Cab driver accelerated the Cab, weaving through the hundreds of angry Mongol soldiers as they fired. It wasn't until he was a safe distance away that he activated the Warp drive and allowed himself to slump back into his seat.

"Hey is he alright?" Cabbie asked in worry as he looked at the battered, now human, form of Danny Phantom.

"He had beef with the champion and they decked it out. It was fun to watch," Lobo laughed.

"You were watching," Danny groaned in anger before feeling the blow of his loss, mellowing him down. "Whatever"

The trip back wasn't silent. Lobo and Cabbie were arguing with each other, grating on the other's nerves, although it was mainly Cabbie that was becoming annoyed. Danny didn't have the heart to listen. For all that happened with him and Vlad he didn't hate the man… in fact Danny had always wanted to get to know Vlad. They were the same, stuck in time and in-between two planes of existence. When he had first met Vlad he was overjoyed, expecting a mentor figure, someone who could explain the craziness that was his life, someone to share the pain of not quite belonging to either world but it became apparent too soon that they could not get along. Vlad wanted more than Danny could give and he wasn't willing to give up his family. There had always been a hope that Vlad would change… now- well now there wasn't any. It hurt.

After Lobo was dropped off at his broken down bike Danny was swiftly taken back to the Watch Tower. He gave the driver a small, heartless smile. This should have been successful trip or at least the sort where he could fix his mistakes but nothing worked out. And despite how much he claimed to hate Vlad, in the end he did not, and now he had lost one of the few people that really mattered to him.

"Keep safe," Cabbie said, waving off the halfa.

"You too," Danny replied as he closed the door.

He watched as the cab left. A hand went on his shoulders but he did not flinch. His whole body ached and he was just tired. He turned around to give J'onn a teary look. He had failed Vlad. The Martian, sensing the teen's emotional distress, instantly clicked the telepathic link. He pulled the teen into a hug, mentally communicating his support, to which the boy replied with his emotions as well. J'onn felt the extent of the deep seethed sadness, the sense of loss, the sense of longing that sprouted from the lack of a place in the world. He completely understood that pain, the pain of being so unbearably alone despite being surrounded by people… and yet they weren't _his_ people. It was an inexplicable emotion, something that couldn't be put into words. It wasn't quite mourning but neither was it sadness. It was just as it was… a sense of loss, of losing one's place in the world, of losing one's kin.

'I failed him,' Danny telepathically sobbed, burying his face in J'onn's chest. 'He wasn't meant to leave me.'

'They are never meant to leave but it happens,' J'onn replied sympathetically.

'First Dani and now him… I'm the only one left'

'You are one of a kind Danny, just like the rest of us, just like the rest of the League'

Danny pulled away from the hug, wiping off his tears as he gave the Martian a small smile. J'onn always knew how to say the right things. He still felt the loss but it wasn't tearing at him like before, dulled into a throbbing pain in the background.

"Come on, let's go get some hot dogs after you clean up," J'onn said.

The teen nodded as he let himself be led into the med-bay. He washed the blood out of his left eye and bandaged some of his wounds with J'onn's help. His human body had taken a real beating and it wouldn't heal up anytime soon. How he would explain this to his parents he had no idea. His thoughts were interrupted when the door opened revealing a very worried looking Superman.

"I take it the mission didn't go well," Clark said softly.

"Yeah… Vlad decided to stay there," Danny replied.

"In War World?" Clark asked incredulously.

"It's hard to believe… I always thought he'd just be there forever, you know. I mean we fought but I didn't- I didn't want him to leave…"

Clark sent J'onn a look of confusion. He had always thought that Danny hated Vlad. The two fought all the time by the way the teen had described him in their talks. Obviously there was more to it than just that. On a certain level Clark could understand the teen more than he knew. He was the last son of Krypton and it had brought a certain joy in his life, he couldn't place, when he found out that his cousin Kara was also alive. Before then it had made him feel ill to fight Zod and the few others of his kind. No matter how evil they were, there was always a feeling of lost kinship. Despite this he had learnt one important lesson and it was time to depart that.

"You'll find Danny, that despite how similar you might have been to Vlad, that you are the only one quite like you. In a way, that makes us all similar because there's no one quite like us."

Danny sent Clark a smile. A small fan-boy part of him started shouting in joy that his idol had just parted him the best words of wisdom he had ever heard. He certainly wasn't as depressed as before.

"Will you come with us Superman? Danny and I will be going to eat the Earthly food called 'hot-dogs'," J'onn offered.

"Of course"

And so that's how Danny ended up eating hot-dogs with Clark and J'onn

* * *

 **Ok so I admit I let it get a little angsty right there. Sorry about that but it was meant to be an emotional scene. I promise that the next chapter will be in the one-shot style and there will be a lot more laughs and fluff compared to this one! Poor Danny is still trying to find his place in the world but he's not alone! He has his heroes!**

 **Also I admit to changing War World up a little. I mean the comic book one is so drab and uninteresting compared to say Marvel's version of the War World, which has the funny as GrandMaster and all that whereas Mongul is super stoic. I'll probably add him in a later chapter in another story arch. Anyway I decided to go with a version where gladiators could volunteer for that kind of life-style and obviously there will be a bunch that get forced into it. But if any of you are history buffs you will know that gladiators were hardly killed in matches in Rome because training them was a pain, so the same gladiators would fight and get a fan-base, and people could voluntarily be a gladiator. It isn't as gory as we imagine it to be although if a gladiator wasn't fighting to win the crowd's favour they were more often than not allowed to be killed in the ring.**

 **Like it? Hate it? Give me your thoughts in the form of a review! I live for reviews! Even if you hated it tell me so I can know what people like and dislike!**


	8. A Very Merry Christmas

**Heroes**

 **Summary- Basically a Christmas special**

 **Also "speech" is normal talk and 'speech' is telepathic talk. Just saying. It gets annoying real fast writing 'he said that telepathically' when you can just figure it out with the '' or the "". Sorry about that rant.**

* * *

Lights were strung up, admits the array of wreaths, and brightly ornate trees. People sang age old melodies in joyous harmony, roaming from house to house as the snow fell softly, cascading its pure white reaches across the suburban lawns. It was amazing how festivities could lighten up the banal everyday setting, how a message of cheer and goodwill could bring a smile to anyone's face. It was Christmas time, a time for sharing and family. Maybe once upon a time the idea of Christmas itself would turn Danny into a real life scrooge but it didn't this time. For all the irritation Ghost Writer had cost his life after publishing those cursed comics of Inviso-Bill, the one thing he did right was show Danny the joy of Christmas cheer.

"Is it normal for your parents to fight like this?" Billy asked, popping up from behind the couch.

Billy tilted his head in confusion when Danny didn't answer or even seem to notice his presence. He tapped the older teen's shoulder causing him to jump up in surprise. Danny turned around and noticed Billy behind him, letting out a sigh of relief.

"You're jumpy," Billy pointed out with a cheeky smile.

The halfa snorted as he took out his ear plugs causing the smaller boy to show his curiosity. "Well mom and dad won't stop fighting about whether Santa is real or not so I decided I don't really have to listen to it. Most Christmas's now I'm selectively deaf."

"Makes sense," Billy said as he cringed at the volume Maddie and Jack were screaming at. "Hey do you have another pair?"

"Um… I don't think so but we could do one better and get out of here," Danny replied with a thoughtful look.

"But… never mind"

He didn't expect Billy to look so crest-fallen. Danny wondered exactly why the boy was suddenly so despondent. Did he say something wrong? Either way Billy would thank him later. The Fenton house was always bare and boring during Christmas. His parents usually didn't have the time to put up a tree or some lights when they were protesting something as pointless as Santa's existence.

"So is your sister coming over for Christmas?" Billy asked, rubbing his hands together from the cold.

"Yeah, she'll be here tomorrow. Don't worry about her ok. She'll definitely love you," Danny said with a confident smile.

That seemed to cheer Billy up for a second but Danny noticed the sad glint in his eyes. It was very badly hidden in his opinion. Billy was a lot of things but he was a bad liar and an even bad actor. There was something wrong and it was obviously hurting the boy. Maybe Billy had bad experiences with Christmas in the past.

"Hey let's go to my room and play some board games," Danny offered unsurely.

"Sure"

As the two went upstairs, Danny could not help but glance at the smaller boy in concern. Kids weren't his forte. Jazz would be coming by the evening so should he just leave Billy's problems to her? Then again she would only just be meeting him? Danny ran his fingers through his hair in frustration. He had no clue on how to console people. Sure he did feelings but he didn't really understand them… not the way Sam and Jazz could. But he had to try right?

"Connect four!" Billy exclaimed as he picked out his favourite board game.

"Sure thing," Danny replied with a smile.

The two started playing, making mundane small talk. There was still an underlying sense of tension in the air. Danny knew there was something bothering Billy and every time he opened his mouth to ask he would second guess himself and just end up not asking at all. Meanwhile Billy was desperately trying to keep up a smile but failing to hide his sadness.

"Look," Danny sighed, "I'm… I'm probably not really good with emotions and whatnot but you know that you can tell me anything right? If you have a problem I don't mind hearing it? I mean I know your life hasn't been sunshine and lollipops until now but you don't have to keep that to yourself."

The game paused. Billy played with the small yellow piece in his hands as he bit his lips. Enough time in foster homes had taught him that telling your guardians your problems really didn't change anything… sometimes that just made things worse. A part of him logically understood that Danny and his family weren't like the others but a more emotional, subconscious side, was afraid that he'd be rejected again. It couldn't hurt to try right?

"I mean, it's not really anything important," Billy mumbled.

"Even if it's a small thing that matters to you it's pretty important to me," Danny replied quickly, eager to assure the smaller boy that he was there for him.

"But it's silly," Billy whined.

"Come on I fight a ghost themed after _boxes_ on a daily basis _._ My life's silly. I'm pretty sure I can handle it."

"I just… wanted to put up a Christmas tree"

In that moment Danny realised just how thick he had been. He had planned an outside event, booking an expensive restaurant with his holiday earnings so he Billy and J'onn could celebrate Christmas away from the noise of his family. It wasn't like his parents would care considering they would be fighting the night away, and he didn't want to scare J'onn away from his first Christmas. Of course that's not what Billy would want. Billy didn't have a family to celebrate Christmas with happily as far as Danny knew, which wasn't much, considering Billy was tight lipped about his past.

"That's not silly," Danny finally said with a small smile. "In fact I think my parent's childish bickering has gone on long enough, don't you. How about this, we'll celebrate Christmas at home this year."

"Really!"

"Yeah, and my parents aren't going to fight if I have a say in things."

* * *

Preparing things was the easy part. Danny ended up buying Billy a pair of ear-plugs as they started putting up the decorations. Despite the silence, which Danny quite enjoyed in comparison to his parent's pointless bickering, they still had fun. Words didn't quite need to be exchanged to show Billy's joy when Danny handed him a bauble with his name on it. Safe to say it went in the middle with the rest of his family baubles. Danny didn't think buying Billy the most expensive present in the world could compare to the joy the boy got from the small bauble with his name on it. Billy was an official member of the family so Danny thought it was evident that he would have one too. He vaguely remembered that his Aunt was coming over this year too so he put hers up as well.

Stopping his parents from bickering was the hard part. Danny had left Billy to the decorations so that he could privately tell his parents off for their behaviour. Sure he had come to accept that the pointless fight about Santa's existence would go on for as long as they were alive but it wasn't just about him anymore. Billy wanted to have a Christmas and Danny would darn well try to throw him the best one ever! Parent's bickering be dammed!

"Santa's not real for the last time! Isn't it creepy that an old man climbs down your chimney in the first place?! That's breaking and entering!"

"He's a magical being! He doesn't follow human laws! Plus he gives you free presents so it's not like he's stealing anything!"

"Jack we're the ones buying the bloody presents!"

Danny sighed, rubbing the tip of his nose at the oncoming headache. Where were the ear-plugs again? In a last ditch effort he decided that if he had to be deaf every Christmas then his parents could afford that punishment too. He took out a rather loud air horn, aimed it at the room and pressed hard. Sometimes he wondered why he didn't just use this instead of his ghostly wail. The blaring sound had achieved its purpose, shocking his parents into silence.

"Daniel James Fenton, what was that for?!" Maddie shouted as she rubbed her ears.

"I think I'm deaf," Jack shouted.

"What? I couldn't hear you," Maddie replied with a scrunched face.

The teen looked at the air-horn with a new found sense of fondness. He would treasure this device for the rest of his life.

"Have I got your attention? Good, because there's a little boy in the living room who hasn't had one proper Christmas and you're making it worse," Danny said with a frown. In his defence he also didn't have the pleasure of having one proper Christmas either.

"Billy?" Maddie asked, concern glinting in her eyes.

"Yes, and you nearly made a little boy cry because of this pointless fight," Danny scolded. He couldn't help it. When it came to Billy he became fiercely overprotective. He finally understood how Jazz felt about him now. "Look can't we all just agree to disagree for once… for Billy."

"You're right," Jack sighed. "We don't know what that boy's experience has been during Christmas."

"We're sorry honey," Maddie apologised. "I guess we can stop fighting about Santa considering he isn't real."

"He is real!"

"Mom, dad!" Danny exclaimed in exasperation.

"We're sorry," both parents apologised in unison, almost as if they were the naughty children.

"Don't apologise to me. Go make it up to Billy," Danny replied with a huff.

"But we do need to apologise honey. We've been neglecting you too. We forgot how hard it must be for you without Sam and Tucker," Maddie said with a sad smile.

"Yeah, we're sorry son," Jack added.

Danny had a rare moment of affection as his parents hugged him. "You don't need to worry about me. I've invited J'onn over for Christmas too. He's a close friend."

"Danny, would the red go with the-"

Danny turned around to see Billy at the door. He was still hugging his parents. He let go from the hug and turned around to see the tensed expression on Billy's face.

"Don't worry about it. I think I can do it myself," Billy said quickly running of.

Maddie and Jack looked at their son with a concerned look. Danny gave a quick nod of acknowledgement before rushing off to catch up with Billy. The boy was slowly weaving the tinsels around the stair way but Danny couldn't see the bouncing excitement from before. It had mellowed out and that worried him.

"Billy, are you alright?" Danny asked.

Billy sniffed as he wiped the coming tears from his eyes. "I-I'm a horrible person."

Danny knelt down next to the boy in concern. "And what makes you say something silly like that?"

"I shouldn't have felt… j-jealous but I did," Billy admitted in shame. "I'm a horrible person."

That caught the teen off-guard. He had no idea how to respond to that. Billy wasn't a horrible person. Feeling jealous wasn't necessarily a bad thing. He was at loss on how to communicate that to the boy or even make him realise that right now he was actually being _silly._

"You're one of the nicest people I know Billy," Danny said with a frown. "Look I don't care what people told you in the past because that's in the _past._ Now you're here and you're just as much a part of the family as I am. You're my little brother ok. It may not be officially on paper but since when have documents meant much right?"

"R-really?" Billy sniffed.

"Yeah, didn't I just give you a bauble with your name on it?" Danny reminded as he playfully knocked on the boy's head like he was tapping a door.

Billy chuckled a little as he pushed Danny's hands away which ended in the older teen simply wrestling him into a head lock. After a good few minutes of messing with Billy's hair, Danny finally let off and smiled at the way Billy was laughing now. He really couldn't deal with the sad sort of emotion but he needed to. He couldn't just let Billy bottle up his past and his feelings.

"Billy, the past may be in the past but if you keep hiding it we can't really move forward can we?"

He hated that he had to ruin the good mood but it was necessary. He was giving advice even though he had absolutely no idea if he was right, and that was scary. Was he steering Billy in the right direction or was he harming him more? Danny couldn't help but feel more out of his depth now than when he had when he defeated an evil future version of himself. How was it he couldn't handle a baby-brother when he could handle Dark Phantom?

"My parents… they um… they died when I was five. It was an archaeological accident and then I was given to my uncle Ebenezer but he…"

Danny placed a reassuring hand on the 10 year old's shoulder. Billy looked up with a thankful smile as he got the courage to continue.

"He took my parents money and kicked me out," Billy sighed. "I got into the foster system and it kind of just went from there till I turned 8. The Wizard found me and gave me SHAZAM's abilities and it wasn't like… like I could have a family when I had powers. It wasn't like I liked those families anyway… they were mean and didn't really take care of me."

After hearing Billy's story, Danny wanted to hurt more than just one person. He wanted to find Billy's uncle and give him a good, painful thrashing before hunting down every one of those families that Billy went to later on and have a nice _chat_ with all of them. He had to take his hand of the boy's shoulder so he didn't break it from his anger. The emotions really pulled his enhanced strength into a frenzy.

"And then you met me," Danny concluded. "That's all that really matters Billy. You had your ups and downs but now you have us and family share those things. You don't have to shoulder everything yourself."

"The stamina of Atlas remember," Billy laughed sadly.

"Atlas didn't have family to help carry the world on his shoulders with him. And don't listen to the idiot who told you, you had to do this alone. For all I care the wizard can stuff it up his as—I mean he can you know, put it some place the sun-don't-shine," Danny corrected himself. He couldn't swear in front of a 10 year old. He was still a little annoyed that someone thought it was a good idea to give an _8 year old,_ magical powers that rivalled Superman's with the added responsibility of protecting a whole freaking _realm_. Who the bloody hell thought that was a good idea?

"Thanks," Billy laughed.

"No problem," Danny replied before they were interrupted by the bell.

In their excitement the two boys jumped up and opened the door. Danny was greeted with the large smiles of both J'onn in his human form, and Jazz's sisterly smile. He pulled the two into a large hug as a grin plastered itself on his face.

"Merry Christmas guys!"

"Merry Christmas little bros," Jazz replied with a warm smile as she hugged Billy too.

"Merry Christmas," J'onn greeted as he handed Danny a badly wrapped gift. "I'm sorry if it does not look like the pictures."

"It's the thought that counts," Danny shrugged as he let them in.

He watched as his parents ran to Jazz and hugged her happily before awkwardly saying hi to J'onn. They were a little confused as to why their son was friends with a 30 or so adult but chose not to question it and instead invited him in. What really made Danny smile though was how Jazz had instantly warmed up to Billy, placing a hand on his shoulder and hovering behind him like she did with him a lot. Billy seemed to be unable to hold back how much he enjoyed that too. Danny was just happy that now Jazz had someone else to fawn over who would appreciate it. J'onn feeling quite left out stood next to him.

'Your family are oddly dressed in comparison to the human populace. Is it a symbol of their occupation or status? J'onn asked telepathically.

Danny sighed, flustered a little at the blatant question. People usually awkwardly hovered around the question, wondering whether or not it was polite to ask, but hardly many people did out of pity for him and Jazz. It caught him off-guard when J'onn simply went in for it.

'I-I mean, I guess… they don't have to wear it but there's really no stopping them. I imagine they'd still be wearing that on our weeding day as well, Danny replied telepathically.

'That's unusual.'

'Hey, there's no one quite like us, am I right?' Danny replied cheekily.

'You are quite right,' J'onn agreed with a small smile.

"Then what are you waiting for? The food's not going to stay hot forever."

And that's how Danny spent the best Christmas of his life so far.

* * *

 **So Merry Christmas everyone! This is the last chapter for this year since Christmas is a busy time but I'll continue writing in January next month. Anyway I'd like to give a small Christmas speech. I usually don't write regarding real-life situations. Most of my authors notes are related to the story but this case is an exception.** **I also would like to point out that I never put any political or religious messages in my stories.** **I've always believed stories are for fun and real life convos are for real life but I thought this message was worth saying.**

 **Christmas is a hard time for a lot of people and a happy time for others. I've experienced both during this season, having faced my own tragedies I won't get into. I just wanted to say that no matter the situation, no matter how down you are, or even how happy you are, that you aren't alone. There's a God up there who came down for you some 2000 years ago to die for you because he loves you. Whether you believe that or not is up to you but I wanted to put this up because I would have loved it if someone told me that a few years ago during Christmas when I was at an all-time low. So I just want any really sad or even happy people out there to know I'm praying for all you people who're having a hard time this season.**

 **Merry Christmas!**

 **Also new heroes next chapter so tune** **in!**


	9. Brain Dead

**Heroes**

 **Summary- Danny learns that even crazy people can sometimes be therapists and that going to concerts with them can actually be fun. (lol I had no idea what to write for this summary so it sounds pretty out there XD)**

* * *

His parents were definitely onto him. It must have been odd having a child who had so many secrets and to get a new one only to find out that they were similar. Danny tried to come up with better excuses, to at least make it seem like he was going out for legit reasons but Billy was still learning the art of lying. He was terribly horrible at it and 10 year olds didn't really have the same freedoms of a teenager. Danny found himself covering for Billy as he transformed into his godly, dare he say, much more manly counterpart, and left to hero in Fawcett City. That found Danny covering for Billy by going to a concert… by himself... after paying for two tickets. He swung his legs over the building, slumping his back and letting out a loud sigh. He didn't even really like concerts and he didn't really have any friends his age group he could enjoy it with.

"Inviso-Bill right?"

Danny turned around, a little shocked to see an African American teen with flaming hair. He furrowed his brow trying to think of where he had seen him and whether he was a hero or not. He didn't feel like getting chummy with a villain after his whole ordeal with Lobo.

"It's Danny Phantom," he said in a resigned voice. It was getting tiring correcting people.

"Firestorm," the teen replied with a blinding smile. "You look down in the dumps. Want to hang out?"

"Just like that? We don't even know each other," Danny asked raising a brow at the other teen's sudden friendliness. Suddenly hanging out with the Flash he could do. Suddenly hanging out with a meta-teen he had hardly heard of… well he didn't want to end up completely dead at his age.

"Oh come on! I hang out with a forty year old man more than I do with my girlfriend!" Firestorm complained before his attention turned away. "Yeah I know. Look I like you too man but it's not the same. No- I'm not saying you can't be 'hip' but it's not the same you know?"

Danny hovered above the building with a suspicious look on his face, about ready to bolt. If he had even contemplated hanging out with him before, he was now definitely not going to hang out with a crazy person who talked to himself. He decided to fly away, huffing his irritation. First he had to buy tickets and spend his precious money to give Billy a legit excuse for leaving and when he finally found some peace a crazy teen was on his case. At least he was alone now… oh wait a minute he wasn't. The feeling of heat was amplified with his core being the opposite to heat itself. He turned around and groaned. It was Firestorm, flying towards him.

"Look man, I'm so sorry that I creeped you out. It's just that I kind of merged with another man and he's kind of in my head. I swear I'm not crazy!"

"Oh because that's totally not what all crazy people say," he said sarcastically rolling his eyes.

Danny flew a little faster and he would have kept going if he didn't have super hearing. He felt guilty when he heard the other teen mumble something about creeping out another potential friend and that he was going to be alone again. He groaned, wondering why he always had to have a bleeding heart. Pausing in his flight, he turned around and tried, but failed, to keep the deadpan expression of his face.

"I guess we can fly together," he sighed, relenting to what was the other teen's bad imitation of a puppy dog expression. He was definitely not guilted into this by that expression.

"Yes!" he exclaimed before moving his hands to his face and whispering to Dr Stein, "I told you I could do it."

"I can clearly see you talking to yourself," Danny called out, adorning an unamused air.

"Whoops sorry! Dr Stein's super clingy. He gets jealous when I make new friends… and I just sounded pretty loony just then… I'll just shut up," he said ending awkwardly.

Apparently that was a lie because all he could do was keep talking. Danny wanted to be angry but admittedly everything that came out of Firestorm's mouth seemed pretty interesting despite how much the teen could go on and on.

"Hey are those tickets for Envoy's concert?!"

The tickets were crumpled in his hands so Danny wondered how exactly Firestorm even noticed it. He must have been a pretty big fan. Danny relented. If Firestorm was such a massive fan and he had a spare ticket they might as well go together… except he was in his ghostly form and Firestorm probably also had an alter ego he hid. Sure he could tell the other teen like he did with the heroes he had met before but he wasn't entirely convinced he believed Firestorm's story.

"I have a spare ticket," Danny finally said, "but won't it be suspicious if two blatantly super powered teens go together?"

"Ooh, I have an idea!"

Danny sighed… he probably wasn't going to like this

* * *

He really didn't like this.

"We look like we're going to rob banks, not party at a concert," he deadpanned.

"You want us to go in looking like an iridescent light, Mr Mc Glowy-Pants?"

"Pot, kettle," Danny replied pointing at Firestorm's burning head.

That was a fair point but honestly they looked down right like thieves with their large black hoodies and doctors face masks. Danny thought Firestorm looked a little hilarious without his head on fire but they still had oddly bright eyes and the receptionist was looking at the two oddly. Danny paid quickly for the hoodies, crying a little as more of his money disappeared from his account.

"Ok so how exactly are we going to get through security? This isn't exactly the most inconspicuous costume," Danny asked.

"Well you are a ghost aren't you?" Firestorm smirked

"Ohhh," Danny said in sudden realisation. Well technically he did pay for the tickets so this wasn't really them sneaking in… maybe. He held Firestorm's arm and turned them both invisible and intangible before they flew into the arena. Danny hadn't been to a place so crowded in a while. Since Sam wasn't there to force him into some Goth concert every month or so he hadn't been in such a populated place. It didn't help that most of the people there were way taller than him and he was practically trampled on all the time without a good view. Sure he could fly but that was a _dead_ giveaway of his circumstances.

Once again the crowd overwhelmed him, their larger bodies crashing into his as they entered the pulpit. He almost got separated when he felt really hot hands grab his wrist and pull him through. Danny felt something soft press against his face and dread took over him when he realised what it was. He had face planted into a ladies boob. He blushed crimson before profusely apologising. Thankfully she just laughed and let it go. His attention turned to Firestorm who was laughing cheekily.

"You did that on purpose," Danny screamed indignantly.

"Oh come on, don't tell me you didn't enjoy it," he laughed with a knowing look.

He couldn't refute that. Some teenage hormone filled part of him _did_ secretly enjoy that but he would never admit it. He simply huffed his annoyance.

"Yeah I know it was wrong. I was just having fun," Firestorm grumbled to Stein.

"You're talking to yourself again," Phantom reminded.

"Oh Stein just has separation anxiety," he grumbled before his attention turned to the concert. "Oh it's starting!"

It wasn't really all that thrilling, being squished in-between a really sweaty and drunken crowd but Firestorm seemed to enjoy it. Danny attributed that enjoyment with the teen's blessed tall height and built body. Once again he was reminded of his _situation._ He really needed to get Zatanna to try an ageing spell on him again. Maybe this time it would work but until then he was doomed forever in his small, skinny 14 year old body. He craned his neck trying to watch the show but everyone, even the women were taller with their heels and boyfriends to help. Firestorm noticed his friend's little problem and decided that now was definitely the time. He couldn't stuff up on making another friend again. It was hard enough getting people to just hang out with him without them thinking he was crazy.

"Man it must suck being a kid," Firestorm laughed nervously, unsure on how to help.

"I'm not a kid!" Danny bit back in frustration, "I'm probably older than you. I just don't age," he admitted with a small inaudible grumble.

"Well then sit on my back!" Firestorm offered.

Yup he was definitely going there. He could not turn back now. If Danny refused he would forever be put in the awkward box, and since he didn't really know where their boundaries were with this whole new friendship business, he didn't know where to start. Heck he didn't even know if the other hero considered him a friend! He was a lot better at this before he had a forty year old man stuck inside his head constantly.

"What?" Danny gawked.

Before he could protest Danny was swung over the taller teen's shoulders, propped up on him in a sitting position and he had to admit the embarrassment left the moment he saw the view in front of him. It was amazing, being above the crowd, managing to see the sea of endless bodies jumping up and down to a rhythmic beat, the neon lights illuminating the wave of fans in a symphony of colour. He could understand why an atmosphere like this would send anyone into a carefree trance. He looked down at Firestorm who looked back at him, pale orange eyes glowing with joy, and he found himself smiling back. He wasn't such a bad guy… a little weird but Danny figured he had judged too harshly because he was in a bad mood when they met.

"This is awesome!" he screamed, his hands thrown into the air as he was bounced around.

"I know right! I love Envoy! Their music rocks!" Firestorm shouted back, gripping his new friend's legs so he wouldn't fall off.

Danny was inclined to agree but he noticed something really odd. The main guitarist was different… the he was a she now, with flaming blue hair and a wicked grin. He groaned. Ember just had to get out of the Zone and ruin this moment didn't she. No wonder why the music was so contagious. Suddenly he noticed the chants of Ember that had oddly gone unnoticed before then. Even Firestorm was screaming it out again and again on the occasion as he missed out on the words. He jumped from his friend's shoulder and noticed the way Firestorm gave him a confused but slightly hurt expression.

"Snap out of it! Don't you notice something weird?" he asked.

"No, we were having fun. Why did you get off? Now you can't see anything!"

"The guitarist is one of my enemies. She uses her guitar to brainwash her audience! We have to stop the concert!"

"Stay! We have to listen!"

Danny backed away in shock. Firestorm was grabbing his shoulders painfully, eyes wild and completely entranced. Danny cursed silently before he created ectoplasmic ear plugs and phased out of Firestorm's grip. He crashed into a man behind him who turned around, eyes faintly glowing bright.

"Why aren't you dancing?" the man asked.

"Not your business," Danny snapped before he turned to Firestorm again. "Come on man, you need to snap out of this! I can't fight her without her turning you against me and I don't want to fight you!"

"Dance Phantom," Firestorm insisted. "Is it because of me? You think I'm weird don't you! Well you were fine when you were listening to the music! We were friends!"

Danny blinked in shock. It was unusual that someone thought about anything other than Ember when they were under her spell. For Firestorm to even consider their relationship at this moment must have meant it was important to him. It was genuine and for a second there Danny felt utterly guilty for dismissing it as fake interest, the snappy attention of a semi-mentally challenged teen desperate for some attention. That last part was somewhat accurate though… still he lamented his actions and decided he would change the way he thought about the other teen.

"We _are_ friends," Danny insisted.

Firestorm blinked in confusion, fighting the odd compulsion to force Phantom into joining the music. He felt like he could go as far as trying to beat the other hero into compulsion. A vague voice was screaming at him from the background, calling to him in familiar annoyance.

" _Ronald!"_

"You're being controlled!"

" _This is not you Ronald!"_

"This is Ember! She's forcing you to cheer for her!"

" _The music is cutting our bond! I'll die Ronald!"_

 _ **Ronald!**_

The music suddenly stopped. Firestorm blinked his confusion, wondering when exactly it was that Phantom was in front of him clasping his face while he was choking the hero. He took in a shuddering breath as he jerked his hands away from the smaller teen's neck.

" _The music was controlling you,"_ Stein explained in a shaky voice _. "It almost destroyed our bond… it almost killed me…"_

"Oh my god, I'm so sorry," he apologised both to Danny and to Stein.

The ghostly hero didn't look too phased. He simply adjusted his latex collar before turning his attention back to the people around him. Their attention was on the two heroes now, their eyes glowing, completely entranced by Ember and noticing the unacceptable anomalies in their crowd.

"Don't hurt them. They're being controlled. We have to cut the music off!" Danny informed.

"On it!"

Firestorm turned the sweat on the crowd into frozen chains before he ripped off his hoodie and mask. Phantom followed in suit as they both flew up from the masses. The music didn't stop, with Ember glowering angrily as she played louder and bolder. Her fans cheered louder, screaming their throats out in praise for her, ever increasing her power.

"You always have to be a show stopper!" she screamed in irritation.

"Only when the music is so bad it turns people brain dead," Danny retorted with a smirk.

"Urgh! I hate this banter!" she screamed before she continued singing. "All my fans! Come together and scream louder for me!"

The crowd roared in the thousands, screaming Ember again and again. Firestorm wondered why it was always the hot women who were super crazy… he still loved Killer Frost though. He couldn't believe he was almost about to love Ember more. There was only one crazy villainous in his heart. Danny wasn't quite thinking around the same lines since he was more worried about Ember's sound waves.

"Don't get hit by her music!" Danny warned but it was too late. Ember hit a high cord, sending the intense vibrations crashing straight into Firestorm and throwing him back.

Danny dodged the consecutive blasts but he was blindsided by an extra chord he did not anticipate. He was thrown back into a wall, breaking through it and landing next to a groaning Firestorm.

"Boys are always whining about how much their girlfriend's scream. I don't want to know what the poor guy's life is like who's dating her," Firestorm groaned.

"I think Skulker probably deserves that," Danny replied back as he rubbed his aching head. "She's gotten faster with her fingers. We can't get through her defences. We need a way to block her sound waves and my ecto-shields hardly worked before."

" _We can bounce the sound waves back!"_ Stein hypothesised _. "The materials here should be enough! I'll send the information to you right now."_

"Hey you do realise that usually takes a while. I'm not an A student," Ronald grumbled before he turned to Danny. "I may be able to help with that. Can you keep her busy for a few minutes?"

Danny nodded and flew right back in. He had experience with Ember before and he figured he might as well trust Firestorm and believe that there was actually someone inside his head. He had come through before after all and that took a lot of willpower and mental strength to accomplish. All he could really do was trust the other teen for now.

Ronald was having a hard time memorising the properties of the materials he was going to use. Even if Dr Stein was feeding his knowledge into his brain, it was still up to him to understand the concept enough to _make_ it. He really wished his power had more to do with imagination than it had to do with understanding the actual concept of chemical makeup and structure. Oh he would have loved a Green Lantern ring right now. Creating a glass like material that bounced the sound waves of this particular wave-length of music was a hard task to comprehend. In the end Ronald took a few minutes to figure it out but he created two of the shield like materials before flying to the ghost boy.

"Phantom, I have the shields!" he shouted.

Danny looked worse for wear, his hair sticking up in odd directions as he dodged and weaved through the angry crowd throwing chairs and the sound waves Ember was throwing at him. He couldn't even turn intangible since the sound waves disrupted his density shifting. Seeing Firestorm with working shields was a huge relief. He caught the brass like object and pushed straight in with the other teen. Ember hit her strings again and was shocked when the sound waves bounced right back at her. She jumped out of the way in time but her speaker system was blown to pieces. The crowd collectively groaned and moaned in pain as they came back to their senses with the unfortunate side effect of having a large migraine.

"You're always ruining the show!" Ember shrieked in anger.

"There's nothing to ruin in the first place," Danny retorted with a victorious smile.

Ember shrieked in anger and frustration when Danny sucked her into his thermos. The ghostly teen slumped onto the stage out of tiredness. He had gotten hit several times trying to distract the ghostly singer and it really sent his ectoplasm into spasms. He felt tingly all over, like he was in a constant state of pins and needles. Firestorm walked over to him and helped him up.

"Come on, we should leave before the crowd demands and encore," he laughed tiredly.

"Yeah," Danny agreed as he wrapped one arm around Firestorm's shoulder and struggled to his feet.

They flew out of there quickly, Danny directing the taller teen until they made their way back to the building they met at earlier. Danny slumped down on the concrete, rolling his head back and groaning as he gazed upward into the orange sky. The sun was setting and they had the best view from the top of the tallest building. Sometimes he was grateful he could fly.

"Wow, were you sitting here waiting for this?" Firestorm asked.

"Not really but it's still great," Danny replied as he struggled to sit upright. He looked at Firestorm. The teen was completely taken by the beautiful sight in front of him but Danny was a little more focused on how odd it was to know there was a teen with flaming hair sitting next to him. They were both heroes, both people with enemies and duties and even though they only met a few hours ago, Danny could connect.

"I'm sorry I didn't believe that there was a person you were mentally talking to," Danny apologised.

"You believe me?" he asked shocked.

"I mean yeah? There are crazier things I've seen so it's not that hard to believe."

"Thanks man. I tried to join the Teen Titans but they kind of blew me off as a crazy," he admitted, rubbing his neck in embarrassment.

"Well I never got an invite," Danny offered his condolences.

"Hey we should make our own group!" Ronald exclaimed.

"It's not really considered a group if there's only two people," Danny pointed out with a raised brow.

"We can call ourselves the Dynamic Duo. We have to keep the alliteration theme going you know."

"I'm pretty sure that was taken by Batman and Robin… and why do all the team names have to alliterate in the first place? Doesn't that sound kind of childish to you?"

"Nope, it's catchy"

"Whatever you say"

The two heroes laughed and feel into a comfortable silence. Danny could get used to this. It had been a while since he made friends with another kid his age.

"So how old are you anyway? Don't tell me you're like secretly a few hundred years old," Ronald asked. That would explain why Phantom didn't seem to like concerts at least.

"I'm nearly 18 so I'm probably still older than you," Danny replied, grumbling his irritation. "I don't know why this is happening to me since it didn't happen to Vl—never mind… it's just so frustrating. I tried spells and they didn't work and I don't have any magical technology to make me look older."

"Sounds kind of lame. I mean if you stopped ageing at least stop ageing when you look 24 or something," Firestorm said sympathetically.

"I know right! Sometimes I think this world is out to get me!"

"You don't say. I can't even go home half the time because I'm stuck like this and I constantly have someone in my head… yeah I don't mind you, you know that right? Wow no need to act like an over-reacting teenage girlfriend. We can't _physically_ separate for more than a day you know."

Danny snickered. At first it was kind of freaky hearing the teen talk to himself… or was it an invisible person in his head—anyhow, right now it was amusing. He could watch this forever… but sadly he had a curfew.

"Hey, if you ever have any ghostly problems feel free to call me," Danny said giving Firestorm his card.

"You have a business card?!" Firestorm had to admit that was oddly cool.

"Well I don't have a Bat signal. I don't stick to one city all the time although Amity Park is high-maintenance. Ghosts pop up in a lot of places. I've got calls for help all around the world," he replied honestly.

"So you're like a real life Ghost Buster?" Firestorm asked, snorting in amusement.

"Something like that but without the tacky truck. I prefer travelling by portals. Much quicker," he said.

"Of course you have _portals_ too," Firestorm pointed out a little jealous.

Danny did have portals but not really what he thought Firestorm was thinking of right now. He just learnt how to use the Ghost Zone's natural portals to travel. It was something the Infi-map helped him learn. Apparently the Ghost Zone had a pattern, as illogical and erratic as it looked on the outside. Still Firestorm had absolutely no reason to be jealous of him.

"Are you kidding me? If I had your powers I would be having free pizza every day," Danny said with a wonton look, mouth watering at the thought.

As if it annoy the other teen, Ronald created a pepperoni pizza for the sake of it. Danny cursed the hero's awesome and super useful ability of rearranging matter. He really wanted that power. He mused at the thought. Once you had something you didn't really think of it until you went without. He didn't really think a second thought about going from one country to the next in the blink of an eye just like Firestorm didn't really notice that he could have whatever food he wanted whenever. That was food for thought. He was still grateful that they found each other when they did. Even if it was just for a moment he really did enjoy a concert for the first time in his life.

"So friends?" Ronald asked

"Friends," Danny nodded shaking his hands

* * *

 **Ok so I'm guessing everyone's noticed the insanely long time it took for me to update. That was because of a whole lot of things that happened that just ruined my mindset for writing. I'm getting back in the rhythm again so I didn't want to do Batman just yet. I want to get him right and when I feel like I can write his character without being generic. So please excuse this chapters sort-of bad writing quality because I just didn't feel like writing when I wrote it. It wasn't, in my opinion, as good as the other chapters but then again there were high stakes in those, even if they were emotional stakes, but in this one Danny's just bored XD. Firestorm has more of an emotional stake in this so his character was pretty interesting to write.**

 **Anyway I had some fun scenarios I wanted Firestorm, Danny and another teen hero to be a part of so I wanted to add him in now. As for suggestions, I'm not dropping this story anytime soon so you can give me some but I might not get to it for a while or I might do it the next chapter. Idk, I'll just write as I go along. This is one of the few stories I have no real outline planned for plot so it's pretty malleable. Danny's age is also something I want to conclude in a later chapter after I've sufficiently built up this au universe of theirs. People have complained about how awkward it is and yes it's awkward because it's meant to be. Immortality doesn't have to come up in a convenient way.**

 **Anyway thanks for all the reviews guys! You guys have been amazing with the praise and all. I think I have an inflated ego now. XD**


	10. Failure

**Heroes**

 **Failure**

 **Summary- In which Danny learns how to deal with failure**

* * *

"This is unacceptable Danny! We've tried to be patient with you for _years_! You sneak out and come back with bruises and we tried to be understanding! But this time you left us for 2 days. _2 days!_ Do you know how that feels?" Maddie cried.

He knew, he knew more than she could imagine, and it hurt more than words could express when they yelled at him. He was tired, his mine was failing him, and his stomach pained from hunger. He had over-exerted himself for two days, _two_ days, trying to catch a dangerous ghost and having failed to save someone from the carnage. All he wanted was to come home to a warm dinner and their comforting presence but instead they were screaming at him. He bit his lips and tried to hold back his frustration. They did not know what he had gone through, for them he was simply the wayward child who suddenly upped and disappeared for a day… but he wasn't, and he was tired, weak… and he scared.

"2 days, son! We even called the police! We were so worried you were kidnapped or dead! Couldn't you at least call if you were going to frolic around?!" Jack added.

Frolic? _Frolic._ He wasn't just 'frolicking' around! He bit his lips and tried to look into Billy's understanding and warm blue eyes instead, reminding himself that someone was still on his side. It wasn't enough though, because as much as Billy was a comforting presence right now, it should have been his parents who understood him, who comforted him. It wasn't fair on them and he knew that, but life wasn't fair to him either. He was tired… so _tired._

"Can we not talk about this now?" he asked.

"Oh, we are talking about this _now_!" Maddie bit out in frustration. "No more running outside without telling us what exactly it is you're doing! I'm sick and tired of this!"

"Well so am I!" Danny screamed back.

The room fell silent, Danny's harsh breathes the only sound permeating through the deafening silence. Maddie and Jack flinched away at the harshness of his tone. It oddly echoed like a ghost's, the room dropped in temperature and they swore his eyes flashed green for a second. They recovered just as quickly convinced it was the trick of light, that their worry and sleeplessness had educed the sudden changes in their perception. Their son looked angry, confused but most of all distraught and they wanted to hug him, but it was unacceptable leaving the house for two days without even a word.

"I'm going to go somewhere where I'm wanted!" Danny bit out coldly as he ran out.

He heard his parent's cries, but he tuned them out in favour of transforming and flying into the ghost zone. He had hoped to come home to let out his grief, but he wasn't wanted. The familiar cold of ectoplasm covered him as he flew through the portal and into the Zone. His thoughts were raging, and he found himself jumping into the nearest portal, eager to be alone. The landscape transformed into a dark, wet cityscape. He scoffed in irritation wondering why it couldn't have transported him into Hawaii instead. He flew to the nearest building and just sat at the top, overlooking the busy night life of the city underneath him. People were still running around like ants even at 2am in the morning… figures. He wasn't the only one who was busy apparently.

* * *

" _Humans"_

" _Yeah I know right? Now why don't you get into the thermos? There will be no more humans in the Zone," Danny tried._

 _He was sweating in exertion as he held his hands out trying to stop the deformed, humanoid ghost from hurting the woman in his arms. She was crying, begging for her life, muttering something about children and he knew, he knew that he couldn't let her die. They were 20 feet away, not close enough for his fastest dash to reach and too close together to throw an ectoblast without killing the lady too. He felt trepidation take over as he investigated the ghost's loathsome red eyes. It spoke of pain but also of deep seethed bloodlust. In that moment he knew there was no stopping what was to come next._

" _No!"_

 _In one swift move the ghost slashed the woman's throat in half. Its haunting laugh was disrupted by the flash of white light that suctioned it into the thermos. The halfa scrambled to the woman and placed her head on his lap. Her chocolate eyes looked into his, colour draining but the accusation ever present within and he crumbled, watching as she took her last few breaths chocking on her own blood, desperately fighting for life so she could see her family one more time. He sobbed into her chest, holding her wrists as the last signs of life blood throbbing in her veins ceased._

* * *

The green in the thermos laughed hauntingly at him. He looked at it, the machine that was holding a ghost who had murdered a woman, a mother, a wife, a daughter, in cold blood and he knew he was going to destroy it. He had done it so many times. It was his duty and the worst part was that he didn't even enjoy it. He could destroy a ghost for good, ghosts who had done terrible things but in the end it never felt good, never felt _right._ Tears dropped from his cheeks, glowing a faint green as it dissipated into the air as it fell. In moments like these he felt so unlike a human, so different and burdened.

"Why?" he sobbed silently, looking at the thermos as if I would answer his question. Why couldn't he save that lady, why couldn't his parents understand… why did he cause so much grief? He wanted to just sleep, to pretend that the last two days of struggling and fighting only to fail had not happened, that it had been just another ghost-free day. He put the thermos in front of him, hovering over the ground above it.

"You shouldn't be here"

Danny nearly jumped from his skin and realised too late he had shot an ectoblast out of habit. Thankfully the hooded figure seemed to have dodged it. Letting out a frustrated sigh he ran his fingers through his snow-white hair tiredly. His senses were on high-alert in case this man was a threat but beyond that his focus was on the thermos in front of him.

"I've been getting that a lot recently. Is it the attitude or is people just jealous of my good looks?" he asked bitterly, unable to stop the quips from rolling. It had become a force of habit under stressful situations to make light banter but now even he could hear the strain in his voice.

Much to his surprise when the figure walked out of the shadows he turned out to be the infamous Batman. He must have ended up in Gotham. Danny blinked his shock when the man walked up next to him and just stood there overlooking the city by his side. There was silence but that was a given. Danny didn't think the man talked much. They just stayed the way they were, in silence for a good while until the feelings Danny had bottled up threatened to explode.

"How do you even survive in this city? You can't even see the stars," Danny asked bitterly as he blinked back tears.

"It grows on you," was the man's simple and succinct answer.

How that was possible was beyond Danny. He grunted his disbelief but was soon reminded of his failure again as the dull glow of the thermos reminded blinked in his line of vision. He tried to think of something else, anything else. Batman was a welcome distraction.

"How do you survive this kind of life? Always fighting, always struggling to win, always getting hurt. I bet you never fail."

"I have failed"

Danny looked up at Batman's mask, his face looked the same as it did before, but his voice resonated a pain so deep that Danny just had to believe him. He blinked rapidly trying to hold everything back, trying to hold his broken world together as best he could. Before he knew it he broke. His mouth opened and he just let it all out.

"I failed someone today. She had a daughter and a husband," he said unable to hold back the sobs. "I tried so hard, but I still failed. She's gone now, because of me. It hurts, it hurts so much."

"It will hurt. It means you're human."

Human? He wasn't human… not entirely anyway. When he looked into that monster's eye he saw the same creature he was, a deformed being, someone who wasn't meant to be _._ He wasn't whole and completelike everyone else. A part of him was a monster that people feared, his parents feared… and he didn't even know which side was more dominant anymore. It was why his parents hated him and he knew he deserved that hatred, because all he was good for was causing pain and suffering.

Bruce looked down on the glowing boy, knowing full well who he was. He had been him, wallowing in his failures, desperately searching for forgiveness. He had failed his own ward, a son he had vowed to protect and that was the hard truth. In the end they weren't gods, they were capable of mistakes as much as the next human was. He had heard enough from J'onn and Superman to know this hero was far from a failure, far from the monster he perceived himself to be, and as human as any other superhero was.

"What we do is on us. What others do is not," Batman said, finally sitting down next to the boy.

Danny turned to look at the hero gravely. In any other situation he would be jumping up and down with joy at finally getting to meet the elusive Batman, but now was not that time. He tried to mask his emotions, tried to hold back his self-loathing and his fears. He didn't want to look weak but here he was sobbing his heart out to the stoic figure… no, not stoic- hardened. Somehow Danny could see that behind that wall of indifference was raging emotions. The cowl was just a disguise for Batman's weakness, just like his banter and jokes were for his. He found himself believing the man. This wasn't entirely his fault but, in the end, that sentiment didn't matter because it still hurt.

"Will… will the pain ever go away?" he asked, voice sounding smaller than he wanted it to.

"No," Bruce replied, unable to bring himself to lie. He still hated himself everyday for failing Tod. "Pain is power. It holds power over you. Use that pain to do better."

It had been what Bruce was doing. He had been fighting crime every day to make sure no one had to go through loosing their parents like he had. He had been fighting everyday to make the world a better place, but in their world, in the world of heroes, there was no option for failure because failure meant death. He didn't know how to voice that sudden and hard truth.

"Batman," Phantom said, catching his attention. He gave a small smile. "Thanks for listening."

Bruce nodded, watching as the ghostly boy faded away in a mist. He was alone again, overlooking his city.

"Did I put you at ease Tod?" he whispered into the wind.

The breeze whistled past

* * *

Danny moved into his home to see the worried and frustrated expression of his parents. He moved into the living room expecting yelling. Maddie walked up to him, a stern expression on her face and her hand reached out. He flinched back expecting to be hit but nothing came. A warm body pressed against his and when he blinked his eyes open he was surprised to find himself being hugged. His mother was crying into his shoulders, holding onto him like he was a lifeline.

"I-I thought you had gone for good," she sobbed.

There weren't any words he could express that would convey just how _sorry_ he was. He hugged back and let the tears flow, surprised to find his dad come in to hug him. The family stayed like that for a while, just letting out their tears in a catharsis of bottled emotions. Finally, they pulled away and Maddie wiped away her tears furiously before composing herself.

"You're still grounded"

He figured not everything would go his way. Danny simply nodded before making his way to his room. He saw Billy peering out from the corridor and ruffled his hair in reassurance. It wasn't enough to assuage his little brother's worry, but it eased it a little. He slumped onto his bed, letting the night take his worries.

The thermos lay beside him, faintly glowing in the night.

* * *

 **Ok, ok this was a super dark chapter. This is why I had trouble writing Batman. I mean I tried a whole another chapter where everything was rainbows and sunshine but it completely failed. So I wrote this chapter in a dark way. This story is about Danny finding his way in the world. It's practically a coming of age story but with superheroes so I figured we can't just address all the fun stuff and what better hero to pair him up with in dark times than the Dark Knight. So yeah** **. So I guess the emotional obstacle Danny has to deal with in this chapter is learning to lose. I mean as everyday people we probably won't have to deal with people dying if we fail, (at least I hope none of you do), but it's something doctors, firefighters and the military have to deal with. There's also a little in there about taking responsibility for your failures. In this case Danny made his parents worry, even if it was for a noble cause, and he has to take responsibility by dealing with the aftermath in a mature manner.**

 **Anyway, I was super nervous about this chapter. It just seemed rather dark for the overall fluffy tone of this story, and a lot of people wanted me to do Batman. I hope it reached expectations because I think I raised the bar pretty high with the quality of each chapter with Shazam and Martian Manhunter's stories. Also, I guess Danny got a cool new power? He can just sizzle out in a mist to go into the Zone? IDK. Honestly it just felt odd trying to write him flying away to find a portal. He needed to leave dramatically XD. (pls don't kill me in the review section for doing that)**

 **Thanks for the reviews guys! Sorry if I haven't been replying. I'm super busy right now! C U Next chapter!**


End file.
